Harry Potter and The Knights Of Soctaria
by mrrichlev
Summary: Mysterious happenings in the 5th year... LOADS OF ACTION... The rating is for some violence later in the story... ENJOY!!! (AND PLEASE REVIEW)!!!
1. Back To School

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry and all that lot I wouldn't be here... They do however belong to JK Rowling, so she gets credit for most of it... The things/people you don't recognise, I came up with...   
  
Authors Note: This is my story... The only thing you need to know is that Fred and George quit school last year to set up their business (artistic lisence, trust me it's for a reason...) It's set in the 5th year...  
  
  
  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Harry Potter and The Knights of Soctaria  
by MrRichLev  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Chapter 1: Back To School  
  
Harry Potter, wizard in training, now starting his fifth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts was now as close to a home as he had ever known. His years growing up with the Dursleys had been hard for him, but now he felt a sense of purpose. He was, according to almost everyone, to be one of the most powerful wizards since magic itself had been discovered. Such a burden for him to carry, at such a young age. He thought to himself for a moment, weather 15 years old was really such a young age any more, especially in the wizarding community, where he was already four years towards being a fully-fledged wizard. In another three, he would be out in the wide world, doing who knows what, with who knows who...  
He stopped his day-dreaming as Vernon Dursley turned the corner to Kings Cross Station. He had been silent the whole journey. It seemed to Harry that Vernon had begun to accept Harry's being a wizard... On the few occasions when the two of them were alone at least... Whenever Dudley was around, he would be as strict as he had ever been... Harry understood to an extent. Vernon was Dudley's father after all, so there would always be something between them that Harry would never have. Vernon slowed the car, and came to a stop outside the station.  
"See you at the end of the year Harry." He said in a monotonous voice as Harry got out of the car, pulling his suitcase, and Hedwig's cage, from the back seat...  
"Thank you" replied Harry, in a much more upbeat tone.  
As soon as Harry closed the door, Mr Dursley drove away, leaving Harry to begin to walk to platform 9¾. Checking there was nobody around to see him, he walked through the magical barrier, and the train came into sight, along with an excited looking Ron Weasley.  
"Harry!" Ron cried as he saw him. "How've you been?"  
"Summer with the Dursleys..." Harry replied in a philosophical tone. "Let me think..." Ron knew what he meant.  
"Well, it's the longest time until you see them again now isn't it..."  
"Yeah... If I avoid getting killed this year!"  
"You've done alright in the past..." Ron noted.  
"There's a first time for everything..." Harry responded.  
"Have you seen Hermionie?" Ron questioned, changing the subject.  
"No, not yet. She'd better hurry up though, we'll have to leave soon."  
It was at that precise moment, that Hermionie Granger came into view... She looked very different from the last time they had seen each other. She had cut her hair, for one, it was now resting slightly above her shoulders, and there was something else that Harry just couldn't put his finger on... He and Ron both noticed that she seemed to have become very beautiful over the summer vacation...   
Suddenly, they realised that they had been staring at her for roughly half a minute, and almost at the same time coughed and started to talk.  
"Hermionie, how are you?" Harry managed to mumble over whatever Ron was saying.  
"As always at the start of the year... Fantastic! This year's going to be the best yet!"  
Ron managed to gather himself. "Yeah, it's gonna be great..."  
"Quidditch is back again! Finally!" Harry butted in.  
"You and your Quidditch, Harry, I don't know..." She paused and motioned to the clock. "We better get on board..."  
Both Harry and Ron noticed the suitcase she was carrying, and immediately offered to carry it for her.  
"I can manage my own bag, thank you!"  
"We, err, we just thought that it would be helpful." Muttered Ron and Harry between them almost indistinctly.  
"Well, I'm fine, but thank you anyway!" she decided as she turned to the train, allowing herself a small smile as she went out of the boys glance... **This year really will be interesting** she thought to herself, as Ron darted in front of her, opened the door and held it for her...  
"Thanks, " she said, smiling to him. Harry rolled his eyes, secretly hoping that he wouldn't have to put up with a year of this... 


	2. A New Face

Chapter 2: A New Face  
  
It was always one of Harry's favourite parts of the year, the banquet and sorting ritual. The only exception was his own first year, when he had to wear the hat himself. It seemed so long ago now, so much had happened... Ron gestured towards the teacher's table.  
"New defence against the dark arts teacher, there..." He motioned towards a middle aged, dark haired woman sitting one place to the right of Harry's nemesis, Professor Snape...  
"Right..." Replied Harry, noticing Snape glaring at him as always... Thankfully for Harry, Dumbledore rose from his chair, and the entire hall fell silent. It was a huge mark of respect that even the Slytherins shut up quickly for him...  
"Friends, students, colleagues..." he began. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts..." At this the hall erupted into mass applause, as was the usual custom...  
"May I add a personal note of welcome to our first years, who will now be sorted in the traditional way..." He gestured to the new first years, then to the hat. Harry listened intently as the hat sang it's new song and they were all sorted into their houses. Eventually only one person remained seated in the area designated for the new students... Dumbledore rose again.  
"It is also my great pleasure to introduce a new fifth year student. Marcus Greenstone is joining us from the Durmstrang institute. I trust that he will be made as welcome as any other..." He then motioned Marcus towards the hat, which he put confidently on his head. Marcus seemed to be slightly taller than Harry, with short brown hair, and robes in pristine condition. The hat paused for what seemed to be, even to Harry, like an eternity. The hat whispered to Marcus...  
"You are very difficult to place, my friend. You have many qualities of each house, but you have already begun to walk your path..."  
"What does that mean?" Marcus whispered in reply.  
"You will find out soon enough..."  
"But..."  
"Gryffindor" The hat shouted... Harry felt strangely pleased, but thought nothing of it...  
  
Later in the Gryffindor common room, while talking to Hermionie and Ron beside the fireplace, Harry heard a voice behind him.  
"Harry Potter?" It was Marcus.  
"Yeah, that's me..." Harry replied, fearing that this was another crazy first-year wanting an autograph. He turned to view Marcus. "Oh, hi, you're Marcus aren't you?"  
"That's right." They shook hands. It appeared that Marcus was a very mature boy, considering Fred and George were less mature than this, despite their extra years...  
"Do you want to sit?"  
"Thanks."  
"This is Ron and Hermionie." Marcus shook hands with Ron, then took Hermionie's and kissed it gently.  
"Charmed..."  
Hermionie giggled. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes. This was bound to end up in trouble.  
"So what brings you to Hogwarts?" Asked Ron, as eager as Harry to get Marcus's attention away from Hermionie.  
"Well, my parents decided that with You-Know-Who raised again, that I would be safer here. Personally, I think that he'll come here first, Dumbledore's getting to old to fight him away."  
Harry, as always, stood up for Dumbledore. He'd done as much as save Harry's life on a number of occasions, and always seemed to have time for him.   
"His strength is in his teaching, for sure. But Vol... I mean, You-Know-Who would never try anything at this stage..."  
"True. Not yet at least." There was an awkward pause. The mention of Voldermort's name always seemed to have that effect on conversation... After a few moments, Marcus spoke.   
"I think that this year will, for the most part, be quiet."  
"Don't count on it." Replied Hermionie. "There's no such thing as a quiet year at Hogwarts..."  
Harry had obviously decided that this was far too depressing for the first real conversation of the year, so he inquired about Marcus again...   
"What's you history then Marcus, tell us about yourself..."  
"There's really not a great deal to tell. " Marcus started. "My parents are pure blood, fairly wealthy, and I'm an only child. I got straight NEWTs last year, and that's about all."  
"Do you play Quidditch?"   
"Of course... I was a beater for my house two years ago."  
"You should come to practice on Sunday, we're on the lookout for new talent... I'll put in a good word for you with the rest of the team..."  
"Thanks... I can't wait to start playing again."  
"I know exactly what you mean."  
All this talk of Quidditch got Hermionie bored, so she pointed out that class was about to start, and that they better get going. Ron seemed to agree with this, which was strange, but then he saw the schedule...  
"Typical..." he muttered... 


	3. Same As Always

Chapter 3: Same As Always  
  
Almost inevitably, after making a new friend, and having a fairly good start to another year at Hogwarts, Harry's first lesson was potions, as always with the ever tedious Snape. Every year Harry and Snape's hatred of each other had grown. But this year was apparently an exception. Snape hardly even looked at Harry, and seemed to understand when Harry got his combinations mixed up (well, to put it more accurately, didn't deduct any points from Gryffindor, much to Draco's disgust). Malfoy however was just as evil as in previous years, although Harry decided that now was not the time for a huge argument with him...  
Talking to Ron, Marcus, and Hermionie afterwards, he suspected Snape's behaviour to be a plot of some sort, but then reconsidered, and decided that Dumbledore must have talked to him.  
"It's just not like Snape, that's all." Harry pointed out. "He's not a nice person to me, ever."  
Marcus intervened... "He doesn't seem too bad, I don't see what all the fuss is about. If you just do the work, he can't touch you."  
"I've been telling them that for years..." Hermionie added.  
Harry and Ron sighed. They wondered what would be harder, the inevitable end of year exams, or ever trying to win an argument with Hermionie.  
They walked in silence, not a thought in their heads. It was almost time to get some sleep after the long train journey, but none of them wanted to. They felt something had to be done, or something should've happened.   
"Count your blessings, that's what I say..." declared Marcus. Harry was the first to reply.   
"Fine then, I'm off to bed. See you all tomorrow..."  
"I'm off too..." added Ron, following Harry as he got up.  
"Goodnight." The four chorused to each other.  
Marcus turned to Hermionie. She seemed to be very contemplative whenever she was in the common room. Marcus spoke first. He didn't want Hermionie to leave just yet.  
"Tell me something..." He started. "Something about you..."  
Hermionie felt herself blush. "What do you want to know?" she asked.  
"Everything..." Marcus replied.  
"Well, " Hermionie started, a little flustered by his request.   
"I'm really just a studious girl at a great school. Harry and Ron are my best friends, and I'm straight NEWTs, like yourself. There's really not much to know about me..."  
Marcus looked into her eyes, apparently captivated by every word.   
"I'm sure there's more than meets the eye..." Marcus said playfully...  
Hermionie looked around the fireplace, trying to avoid his gaze, tucking her hair back over her ears frequently. **He can't think he likes me already!** Thought Hermionie. **We've only just met! I've got to get out of here...**  
"I should really go and get some sleep." Hermionie finally declared. "See you tomorrow."  
"Goodnight Hermionie." Marcus said through a thoughtful smile.  
"Goodnight" Hermionie mouthed as she turned and exited. Marcus watched her for a moment, then got up and went to his own dorm room, thinking about the year ahead... 


	4. The More You Know...

Chapter 4: The More You Know...  
  
The first week back at Hogwarts went primarily without incident. The ghosts were joking as always, and it seemed that lessons were going well. The promise of the first Hogsmeade visit of the year had persuaded everyone to finally go to sleep. Almost everyone at least... Hermionie sat silently in the huge chair beside the fire, as good as invisible to the rest of the room, despite the fact that there was no-one else there with her.  
She was almost asleep when Marcus walked downstairs from the dorm room carrying his acoustic guitar. Other than his wand and broomstick, it was his most treasured possession. He sat in the middle of the room, put a soundproofing spell around the room, and closed his eyes. It was always hard for him to decide what to play first, but he hadn't played for so long, he just wanted to play... Hermionie sat silently curious. Marcus, for once, hadn't noticed her.  
He started to strum the opening chords for a song Hermionie didn't recognise, but then stopped. Then he began again. This time he played a series of note, sliding down the neck of the guitar...  
He began to sing "I'll Be There For You"...  
"I guess this time you're, really leaving... I heard your suitcase say goodbye... And as my broken heart lies bleeding... You say true love is suicide..."  
Hermionie was stunned. Every note Marcus sung was perfect, exactly to pitch, with such emotion... He continued, ending with a chorus, which would have roused any audience... He began again, another song. Hermionie again recognised it. It was an Eagles song her mother used to play for her as a child. "Love Will Keep Us Alive". She wondered if it was true, and suspected it would be put to the test in the future, though she prayed it wouldn't.  
As Marcus finished, she revealed herself. She turned the chair, clapping at the same time. Marcus looked as shocked as was possible.  
"Hermionie... How long have you been there?" He asked, visibly confused and agitated.  
"Since before you came down... Marcus, that was amazing... You never told us you played..."  
"I though you all might think it was a too muggle a thing to do."  
"No way, you're amazing... You have to play for the others!"  
"Not a chance..." Marcus burst out, without thinking. "I can't play for everyone... I wouldn't have played now if I knew you were there..."  
"But why not?"  
"Because I'm afraid of performing like that... I play for myself, nothing more..."  
"But..."  
"No. There's nothing you can say to change my mind either."  
"Would you play just for me? I've heard you now anyway..."  
"Maybe some other time..." He turned to go, picked up his wand and muttered the counter-spell for his sound barrier. He paused, then looked over his shoulder... "I...Some other time... Goodnight..."  
"Goodnight..." Replied Hermionie, disappointed. She watched Marcus climb the stairs, then climbed her own, up to her room. She'd worry about him tomorrow morning.  
  
Meanwhile, in the boy's dorm, while Marcus was talking to Hermionie, Ron and Harry were having a discussion of their own... Harry began...  
"Ron, did you notice anything... Different, about Hermionie?"  
"What, other than that she's become much more attractive over the summer?"  
"Well, yeah... That's pretty much what I meant..."  
"Well, it's not a huge surprise is it?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Come on Harry... You didn't think she was going to stay the same all the way through the school did you?"  
"I never really thought about it... Obviously you did..."  
"That's not the point." Ron replied, trying to avoid Harry's prodding. "She's growing up now, it's strange to see, but it had to happen sooner or later."  
"What do you think about her?"  
"I'm trying not to..." Stated Ron after a short pause. Harry noticed the forced tone in his voice.  
"She seems to be attracting a fair bit of attention from all over the school."  
"At least it distracts people from you for a while..." Ron added, trying to make the conversation lighter.  
"You got that right." Harry agreed. "Maybe she'll start to ease up off the work with her new image." Harry speculated. He looked across at Ron, who simply looked straight back at him. After a short pause they smiled, laughed, and said simultaneously...  
"I don't think so..."  
"Goodnight Ron."  
"'Night Harry."  
"Sweet dreams of Hermionie!" Harry joked in an obvious tone.  
"Goodnight Harry!" Ron stated deliberately... He didn't want to admit it, but she probably would end up occupying most his dreams that night... 


	5. Defence Against The Dark Arts

Chapter 5: Defence Against the Dark Arts  
  
"Friday afternoon, 1pm... Extra Defence Against The Dark Arts class for Gryffindor and Slytherin... This class will be held in the Great Hall..." Hermionie read from the notice board inside the Gryffindor common room...  
"You have got to be kidding..." Ron said...  
"Nope..."  
Harry sighed... "I wonder why it's in the Great Hall?"  
"Probably something to do with it's size... Maybe we have to fight something..." Marcus speculated...  
"Close... But no..." Hermionie corrected as she read the rest of the notice... "They want to teach us to Duel..."  
Harry sighed again... "Great!" He added sarcastically... Marcus showed more enthusiasm as they sat down at their usual places beside the fire...  
"It is a valuable skill, and it's better to learn it before someone gets killed and we have to reconsider what we do in class..."  
"I still think it's a bad idea..." Ron stated... "You may not realise this yet, but the Slytherin house is fully of cheating gits like Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle... This is exactly what they'd want... I wouldn't be surprised if Snape organised it..."  
"Well, I think it's better that we know what to do under any circumstances... And besides, Snape won't be the only teacher there, so the Slytherins won't be able to get away with much..." Marcus concluded.  
Harry spoke again... "I wouldn't count on that... Malfoy happens to be very good at covering up his actions as accidents..."  
Ron supported Harry... "At least it's the only thing he's good at... You're quiet Herm... What's wrong?"  
"Nothing... Just thinking..." She replied, continuing to stare into the fire... "Just... Never mind..." She looked up for a moment at Harry, Marcus and Ron, before looking back to the fire...  
  
"What's with Herm?" Marcus asked later as they went to their rooms... "Is she normally like that?"  
"Occasionally..." Ron said, brushing off the comment... "She's usually got a book in her hand though, she's probably read something earlier that she's thinking about..."  
"I wouldn't worry about it... The more she knows, the more we end up knowing usually... Try reading "Hogwarts: A History" if you want to get an intellectual discussion from her..." Harry added...  
Marcus laughed at the suggestion. "Okay, extra reading... Let me think... No thanks! I've got enough to try and do anyway!"  
"Try telling her to stop reading it... I swear she'll be writing a new section for it once she leaves this place!" Ron said, probably accurately...   
"Trust us Marcus, Hermionie is one of a kind... Totally strange until you get to know her, but once you do, you're glad to..."  
"Okay... I'll keep it in mind... What do you two think of the Duelling, really?"  
"I don't like having to learn how to kill people, but after what I went through last year, I agree that it's a necessity..." Harry said, resigned... Marcus nodded, understanding... Harry was lucky, other wizards would have been killed without having a chance to put up a fight... Ron broke into Marcus's thoughts...  
"We need to know it, no question... But I don't like the idea of being in a Duelling class with the Slytherins..."  
"I think the entire School would agree with you there..." Marcus finished, smiling at the thought of the entire School Mock-Duelling with Malfoy, Crabbe and Doyle...  
  
Friday afternoon arrived quickly, and Harry arrived at the Great Hall with Hermionie, Marcus and Ron five minutes before the class, to find only one person in the Hall before them... Albus Dumbledore...  
"Professor?" Harry asked, half excited to be learning from the Headmaster, half confused...  
"Mr Potter, good to see you're on time for your lesson! Mr Greenstone, how are you getting on with your studies?"  
"Quite well sir, thank you..."  
"Excellent... Now I need to talk to Harry for a moment, if you'd excuse us..." Dumbledore requested, and the other three immediately went outside...  
"Harry, if you feel uncomfortable about any of this, you're free to go whenever you wish..."  
"It's alright Professor... I don't want to be treated differently..."  
"As you wish... Now I believe the rest of the class is outside, please let them in..."  
Harry went to the door, and the class flowed inside... As soon as they had sat in the chairs Dumbledore had conjured while Harry's back was turned, the Headmaster began to speak...   
"Good afternoon class... Welcome to your first Duelling class... Today we will review basic Duelling etiquette, as well as participate in a few practice Duels towards the end of the class..."  
Dumbledore went on to explain the history and etiquette of Wizard Duelling... Marcus seemed fascinated by every word Dumbledore spoke, and finally, as Dumbledore asked for volunteers for the first practice Duel, he shot his hand into the air almost as quickly as Hermionie did...  
"Well, well... It seems that we have our first pair..." Dumbledore said, obviously interested by the outcome of the battle... "Everybody stand to the walls, give them some room..." Dumbledore commanded... As they rose, he removed the chairs, leaving Neville, who was a little slow, to fall down, an action met by fits of laughter from Malfoy... "That isn't necessary Mr Malfoy..." Dumbledore spoke commandingly, yet softly...  
"Sorry sir..." Draco replied... Hermionie and Marcus were now ready...  
They bowed to each other slowly, each slightly worried that they might hurt the other... These fears were soon lost as Hermionie started casting small spells in quick succession, all of which Marcus countered, but only just... He began to worry whether he could beat Hermionie... She knew so many more spells than he did... Marcus let his feelings guide him... He channelled his fear into a series of aggressive spells, which, had Hermionie not blocked them, could have left her in the Medical ward for the rest of the day... Marcus was angry that Hermionie blocked each of his attacks... He resented the fact that she seemed to be comfortably countering him... She attacked again, finally hitting Marcus's left shoulder, bruising it badly... He snapped... Attacking with his anger and hate in his eyes, he knocked Hermionie to the floor after a series of attacks... She called a stop to the match... Marcus realised himself and calmed his mind... **What was I doing?** He questioned himself as he looked down at Hermionie... She picked herself up off the floor... Partly impressed by Marcus, but also partly scared... She had seen the anger in his eyes as he cast his spells... It was almost like he was enjoying it...  
"Well done Marcus..." She commented... "And no hard feelings!" She added, seeing the sadness in his eyes for what he had done... Dumbledore seemed troubled...  
"That's all for today... Please do not practice on each other outside of this time... Unless you wish to battle me in a real Duel, in which case, you can find me in my office, and we can schedule a time..." He paused... "Class dismissed... Marcus, my office please..."  
"Yes sir..." Marcus said as the rest of the class left and he followed Dumbledore to his office...  
  
Dumbledore was, if fact, not angry with Marcus...  
"Marcus... How did you feel when you were fighting Hermionie? Please answer me honestly, it's important..."  
"Truthfully? I felt so much power within me... It was like I found a part of me which was intent on winning the battle..."  
"I understand Marcus... Many people experience this kind of sensation... Most put it down to desire of victory, but I have found that there is a part of us which craves battle... Have you ever fought in the past?"  
"Not really... Other than the odd scrap with other children when I was younger... I think I was roughly 10 when I had a significant enough encounter to call it a fight..."  
Dumbledore considered this for a moment, then spoke again... "Marcus, I sense there's something else on your mind to do with this subject..."  
"There is... It's hard to talk about it... It happened when I was 11..."  
"What did?"  
"My cousin was killed... Murdered... We never found out by who... The Ministry couldn't uncover the identity of the attacker, but they told us that a Duel must have taken place..."  
"I'm sorry Marcus... I wasn't told..."  
"We keep it to ourselves mostly... It's a painful memory for all of us..."  
"I understand..."  
"We were very close, he was one of my best friends... He knew all about me... We did everything together... Maybe I sub-consciously wish that I could revenge him... It's an awful thing to say..."  
"It's not awful... We all feel that we wish we could do something to repair a problem... However, killing another solves nothing..."  
"I know... I'll be fine... I just need to control myself..."  
"Well, I don't think it's too much to worry about... Just be aware of your feelings, and make sure you control them... If you ever need to talk to me about how you feel, my door is open to anyone who can figure out the password..."  
"Thank you sir..."  
"Okay, off you go, I believe Harry and Ron are waiting for you..."  
Marcus turned and left, electing not to talk to the others about it... **No point in concerning them about it...** He thought to himself...  



	6. The Return Of Quidditch

Chapter 6: The Return Of Quidditch  
  
Harry woke on Sunday morning as happy as he could remember being in a long time. He rushed down towards the locker room, eager to get back on his Firebolt for the first time in the season... But as always, the wrong person appeared at the wrong time... Malfoy. He and Potter were notorious for hating each other, and this year, Malfoy seemed determined to get Potter expelled from the moment Harry crashed into him running downstairs.  
"Freeze Potter!" He called out as Harry tried to hurry on. Harry turned back reluctantly. It was bad enough that he was losing airtime, but because of Malfoy was even worse.  
"Where are you off to in a hurry?" He asked, fully knowing the answer, he wore a smug grin as if to say **Run all you want, Snape's going to get the pitch for us anyway** Harry lied.  
"I'm going to breakfast." And with that he sped off again, leaving Malfoy confused.  
  
He reached the locker just as Marcus was leaving it, carrying a brand new Firebolt.  
"What's that?" Harry asked stupidly...  
"I told my parents I'd try out for the England team at the end of the year if they got me one, so here it is... I just have to figure out how to get out of being killed by the other England potentials..."  
"Wow! I thought I was the only student who had one." Harry was stunned, but at the same time pleased. **Wait until Malfoy sees this...** Harry thought to himself, as he picked up his own Firebolt and headed out with Marcus.   
To their surprise, Ron and Hermionie had turned up to watch the practice. Harry thought nothing of it, except that Ron would be pleased that he and Hermionie could talk a bit alone.  
  
Harry and the rest of the team (only five of them after most of the team graduated last year) had been practising for about hour when Harry noticed that Ron and Hermionie had left. He didn't have a chance to think about it before Marcus directed another bludger at him. Marcus was an excellent beater, and Harry only narrowly avoided his attacks. **Thank goodness he's on our team!** Harry thought to himself as someone appeared on the ground below... It was Ron. Harry flew down to meet him.  
"Ron! What are you doing?"  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" He asked. Harry wasn't in the mood to argue over this... They needed the players...  
"We could use another beater..." He suggested.  
"Harry, this is going to be great!" Ron exclaimed as he took to his broom and left the ground. He saw Hermionie had taken up position in the stands, and so waved to her, nearly falling off his broom. Harry sighed. Ron was probably just nervous, but still, he really could use a new broom...  
  
A few minutes later, the team was in shock again... The youngest Weasley, Ginny had decided to give the position of keeper a try... Everyone was understandably nervous about this (seeing as how the keepers often seem to come away with numerous bumps and bruises, but Ginny was more than capable, and it took some serious effort for the team to score...  
Next came the nominations for team captain, since Oliver Wood had left the position open... It was decided almost unanimously that the senior player should captain the side, and so the responsibility fell to Michael Murphy. Another bonus for the side was that Michael was Irish, so he was put in charge of the team's luck, as well as humour and (in Ron's words) "Most references to the Irish World Cup side in a single minute!"   
As it turned out, Ron was in fact another excellent beater, just as his brothers had been. The only real downside was Marcus getting hit by a bludger from Ron, who was still protesting it was an accident in the common room later. Harry, however, detected a slightly better Humber in Ron after the incident...  
  
On the way down to dinner, Harry finally ran into Cho. Like Hermionie, Cho had become even more attractive over the summer. Harry wondered how this was possible, but was soon wrestling with his mind over weather to talk to her or not. His mind was quickly made up for him as Cho saw him and ran to him, obviously delighted to see him.  
"Harry!" she shouted as she hugged him.  
"Hi Cho..." was all Harry could manage, slightly taken aback by her mood.  
"I'm so glad to see you again..." she said as she let him go.  
"You too... Are you going to dinner?" **What a stupid question** he thought.  
"Yeah... Want to walk with me?" Harry could hardly contain himself, but tried to remain calm.  
"Okay, sure..."  
They began to walk slowly, Harry managing to keep the pace to a minimum so they didn't have to say goodbye too soon.  
"Do anything interesting over the holidays?" Harry asked, to start a conversation.  
"Not really, just studying and chilling out. How about you?"  
"The same really..." Harry lied, not wanting to mention the Dursleys if he could possibly help it... The conversation followed the same lines for the majority of the short walk to dinner, both of them avoiding Cedric's name, though it was clearly on their minds. When they reached the hall, Cho spoke first.  
"Harry, I want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened to Cedric... I think you were really brave to face Voldermort after what happened." Harry was again shocked. He didn't expect Cho to call Voldermort by his name, but he also didn't expect her to talk about Cedric, especially to him.  
"Thank you for telling me that." He replied sympathetically. "It means a lot to hear you say it."  
"We better eat something..." she stated, and they walked to their separate tables, saying a quick goodbye in the process... Hermionie and Ron were sitting already, laughing.  
"What's so funny?" Harry asked as he sat.  
"I was just reciting the story of Marcus and the bludger." Ron said proudly.  
"Oh, I haven't heard that one in the last five minutes..." Harry teased.  
"Let him boast for a bit Harry" Hermionie replied. "It's not every day that he gets to show off." Harry agreed, but began a quick summary of his conversation with Cho.  
"Ooh, Harry, looks like you're becoming quite the lady's man now..." Hermionie jested.  
"One can only hope!" Harry quickly responded, secretly hoping that what Hermionie said was true... 


	7. Squares And Triangles

Chapter 7: Squares and Triangles  
  
Hermionie's academic ability was nothing new, but her being the centre of attention was. It seemed to be that lately she had been spending less time with her head in a book, and more with Harry, Ron and Marcus. To them it appeared that she was always with the other two. Ron thought that she spent all of her time with Marcus, Marcus thought she spent all of her time with Harry, and Harry thought she spent all of her time with Ron. Between the three of them, Hermionie was always occupied in some way.  
Most of Marcus's conversations with Hermionie revolved around the subject of his singing, and finally she managed to persuade him to sing again...  
"It'll only be you and me... No-one else even knows you have a guitar..."  
"As long as you still don't tell anyone..."  
"Fine... Just sing..."  
"Okay. Meet me in the common room at midnight." Marcus sounded resigned. He had discovered that Hermionie couldn't be argued against.  
  
Ron and Harry stared out over the Hogwarts grounds, lit only by the stars in the night sky. Neither could sleep, and both of them knew exactly why. Ron turned to Harry and started to talk.  
"Something's going to happen soon." He declared.  
"Like what?" Said Harry.  
"Something big." Responded Ron, in a puzzled voice. Harry walked back to his bed.  
"Ron, just enjoy the quietness while you can. We don't know how long it'll last, and there's no point just waiting for something to happen... When Voldermort..."  
"Shush!" Ron interrupted, he still hated the fact that Harry always called Voldermort by his name.  
"When Voldermort decides to come back for us, we'll all be drowning in worry, so until then, sleep, and be happy." Harry lay down on his bed, hoping Ron would leave it for a night.  
"I didn't mean about you-know-who, I meant about Hermionie."  
"You mean you're going to get over yourself and ask her out?"  
"I don't know Harry. I just don't know what to do. On one hand it's Hermionie, and she's our best friend in the world and I wouldn't do anything to change that... But on the other hand, she's just so amazing, I don't know how to describe it to you." He looked across at Harry, who was listening intently.  
"I know how you feel, Ron. I imagine it's the same way I feel about Cho... All I can say to you, is that if you don't tell her, you'll always wonder what might have been." Harry felt pained to say it, since he felt he didn't have the courage to tell Cho the same thing.  
"I know I have to, but every time I see her I don't want to face the possibility of her saying that we're just good friends." Harry looked at Ron for a moment. He looked desperate to do something, to say something to Hermionie, but at the same time he was full of fear.  
"I think you should sleep on it. Decide what to do tomorrow." Harry finally stated.  
"Alright. 'Night Harry..."  
"Goodnight Ron..." With that they both fell to their dreams.  
  
At almost midnight, Marcus pulled himself out of bed, picked up his guitar and wand, then walked to the common room, where Hermionie was waiting for him.  
"Done the soundproofing already?" he asked.  
"Just as you came in." Hermionie said through a smile.  
"So what do you want me to play?" Marcus asked, not knowing quite what to expect.  
"Something thoughtful, maybe."  
"Okay, here goes." Marcus said, putting on the guitar and sitting opposite her. "This is called "Learn to Be Still", by the Eagles." He announced as he started to strum the opening chords.  
Again Hermionie listened intently. There was so much emotion in his voice, so much sadness.  
He continued to play for over an hour when Nearly-Headless Nick came in and reminded them what Snape might do if they fell asleep in potions the next day. This prompted a quick exit from the pair of them, with Marcus only remembering that there was a sound barrier at the last moment.  
  
A few minutes later, Hermionie lay in bed thinking about Marcus. There was something about him, or was it just that he was new, and so much more was yet to be discovered about him? She though of Viktor Krum, who she had met the previous year, during the Tri-Wizard tournament. She had for a time believed that she had loved him, but had later decided that it wasn't meant to be. Next her thoughts turned to Ron, and specifically the night of the ball. He was always so sweet, and ready for adventure, but that night they had had one of their few huge fights. It was such a horrible feeling when she argued with Ron, and she suspected that he might have taken more than a casual liking towards her at the time, but with all the danger they faced together, they never really talked about it. Finally her thoughts turned to Harry and Cho. She felt happy for them, if they would ever get together, but it seemed like it was taking a fair amount of time to sort itself out. For a time, during their first year, she had had a crush on Harry, but now dismissed it as nothing. Even so, she still felt a little jealous that Cho was the one always on his mind.  
All of this was too much for her. It wasn't worth worrying about. None of them would seriously consider her as more than a friend, would they? If anyone would, then she'd deal with it when it arose, even though she doubted it ever would... 


	8. A New Tradition

Chapter 8: A New Tradition  
  
Some weeks later, while the school seemed to be on a gentle progression towards a relaxed atmosphere, everyone's mood seemed to have improved a great deal. Ron still hadn't told Hermionie how he felt about her, but Harry seemed to be making what he described as "progress" with Cho. It seemed to Hermionie that Harry was just about ready to ask her out. The issue seemed to be more of where he would take her, rather than if he would ask her.  
"Just take her somewhere in Hogsmeade..." Ron suggested.  
"Yeah, that's really romantic, going to "The Three Broomsticks"..." Harry replied.  
"Look, Harry, just ask her out, you know you're dying to..." Hermionie interjected. "It's not the massive disaster event that you seem to think it is..."  
"Alright, I'll ask her tomorrow, we've got to go get some dinner now..."  
"Fine, but make sure you do... I'm not sure I can take much more of your moaning each evening!" Ron said firmly but playfully, as they made their way down to the great hall.  
  
As soon as everyone had finished the main course, Dumbledore stood. Again, the room fell silent. Dumbledore usually had something important to say if he rose after the main course. It was the theory of the first years that if he was congratulating someone, he rose before the meal began, if he was encouraging, he rose after dessert, but only rose in the middle of a meal if something important had happened, or was going to happen...  
He began to speak...   
"Students, colleagues, friends... It is my pleasure to make an announcement of two new events that will grace our calendar this year..."  
Harry groaned inwardly. The last time Dumbledore had announced a new event, he had almost been killed with Cedric. He decided that whatever this was, he wasn't going to like it...  
"After much discussion between the professors and myself, it has been decided that you all deserve a reward for your excellent effort this year..."  
The great hall fell into a mix of confusion and delight, but was quickly hushed by Dumbledore.  
"We have decided to stage three balls over the remainder of the year, not dissimilar to the Yule ball last year, which was a great success."  
**Speak for yourself** thought Harry and Ron simultaneously.  
"The first of these three will be held at Christmas, the second in the spring, and the third in the summer, at the end of the year."  
Applause came from all corners of the hall, but again was hushed.  
"There is another announcement that must be made... After corresponding with the heads of Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons, we have decided that the time is right to introduce school Quidditch matches."  
The entire hall burst into cheers of delight, particularly from the Gryffindor table, where Harry and Ron sounded like they'd been made kings... It took fully five minutes to calm everyone down sufficiently for Dumbledore to continue. Even Hermionie seemed to thing that this was a great event... Dumbledore remained calm, and spoke again.  
"As always, I expect an unparalleled level of behaviour from you all... In regards to the Hogwarts Quidditch team, it will be selected by Madam Hooch, based on your performances in your training time, as well as in the upcoming matches..." Again the room began to murmur rumours of the likely team... "Finally, " Dumbledore said, slightly raising his voice to compensate for the ambient noise, "I expect all of you to continue your excellent effort towards your studies, otherwise you may not be allowed to attend some or all of these events... Thank you for your attention." He sat, and the room burst into conversation once more...  
"School Quidditch! I don't believe it! This is amazing!" Exclaimed Harry.  
"Finally something to be happy about!" Said Ron, nearly as excited as Harry. Hermionie was the first to voice a problem.  
"If you get selected, then you can start celebrating. You're setting yourselves up for disappointment now... Think about the dance instead..." Almost as soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't.  
"Harry, you can ask Cho!" Marcus pointed out, apparently he wasn't really sure about the whole goings on, but he seemed as excited as the rest of the students...  
  
As they left the hall, still on a high, Harry crashed into Cho.  
"Oh, I'm sorry..." He started, suddenly realising it was Cho.  
"It's okay..." She replied, humoured by the event. Harry suddenly decided that he should ask Cho to the dance now, before anyone else could.  
"Cho..." He started, searching for the right words... "I don't know how to say this really... I've really liked you for a while, and I would really be honoured if you would go to the ball with me." **That sounded so much better in my head** he thought.  
"Harry, I'd love to..." Cho beamed as she replied. Harry started again without thinking...  
"It's okay, I just thought I might ask, you know, I thought you probably wouldn't, so I'll just be going back..."  
"Harry, I said yes!" Cho laughed as she corrected him. Harry was slightly shocked, but mostly delighted.  
"Alright! I'll talk to you later then..." He said, shocked, and trying not to sound too over-the-moon.  
"Okay." Cho smiled again as she turned away in the direction of her common room. Harry in turn ran back to his, thankfully not running into anyone. He leaped through the Fat Lady, shouting the password just in time. As he landed on the other side, he called out to Hermionie, Ron and Marcus...  
"She said yes!!! She said yes!!!"  
"Harry, that's great!" Hermionie almost shouted to him as she hugged him. "I'm so happy for you!"  
"Congratulations Harry," Marcus added. "Took you long enough!"  
"Thank goodness!" Ron concluded happily. "No more moaning and groaning!"   
Harry was delighted. Things couldn't be going better for him. How little he knew that very soon, things would be getting very much worse... 


	9. Heartbreak

Chapter 9: Heartbreak  
  
Ron had never been a great sleeper at the best of times, but it seemed that tonight was even worse. All Harry's celebrations earlier had made up his mind. He was going to ask Hermionie to the ball tomorrow afternoon. But what would he say? What would she say? He needed to think, but Harry's snoring made it impossible. The common room should be empty now, no-one ever went in there after midnight...  
  
While Ron was thinking upstairs, some people were in fact in the common room. The two people he would least like to be there...  
Marcus sang again. He sang the most romantic songs he knew, and threw himself into an improvised solo at the end of one of the songs which he dedicated to Hermionie. The hardest part was the end of the night, the time they had to say goodbye. Tonight was different though. She always gave Marcus a hug goodnight, but for some reason neither of them wanted to let go. They stared at each other, still holding themselves together. Hermionie opened her mouth to say goodnight but stopped and moved closer to Marcus. She kissed him slowly and longingly. Moments later she opened her eyes and met his. She started to explain herself...  
"I..."  
"Shush" He replied, starting to kiss her again... Ron was now walking down the stairs, unheard due to the sound barrier. The kiss lasted longer this time, and they were still there as Ron entered the room.  
Ron couldn't describe how he felt. It was like Hermionie had put a knife into his heart, and his soul felt empty. He felt betrayed by Marcus, but also by Hermionie. Nothing was going to console him. He decided to speak. No point in delaying the inevitable, however much it would hurt.  
"Hermionie?" He questioned... They both broke instantaneously.  
"Ron! I..."  
"I saw..." He paused... "How long have you two..." He sounded broken and hopeless.  
"We only just... That was our first kiss." She hated herself saying it. It was obvious from the look on Ron's face that he was upset by this.  
"I'm... I'm happy for you..." he forced out. Marcus was strangely quiet. "I'll get out of your hair..." Ron said, turning back up the stairs.  
"Ron, wait..." Hermionie pleaded, but he kept on walking. After he left, she collapsed onto the chair beside the fire. She felt drained. "He wasn't supposed to find out like this..." she said.  
"I'm sorry..." Marcus offered.  
"It's not your fault... It's just that Ron and I have always been really close. I'll be weird for him to see us together."  
"I think we better get to sleep... Do you want me to talk to Ron tomorrow?"  
"No, I'll talk to him..."  
"Okay... Goodnight Herm..." Marcus whispered as he kissed her on her forehead.  
"Goodnight Sparky" she smiled to him as he picked up his wand and guitar and began to walk out.  
  
Ron threw himself on his pillow, furious at himself for even thinking of walking down. He started to weep into the sheets, lightly saying "Why? Why?". Harry woke as he head this.  
"Ron, what's wrong?" He asked.  
"I went downstairs, and I saw them..." he sobbed.  
"Saw who?" Said Harry, very concerned now.  
"Hermionie and Marcus" he continued, "They were... I can hardly even say it... They were kissing... I should have known..."  
"Ron, I'm so sorry... " Harry answered, though he noticed a slight twinge in his own heart.** Heaven knows what Ron must be going through**  
"It's okay... If she's happy, then it's all..."  
"Are you going to be okay?"  
"Maybe in the morning. I need some sleep."  
"Goodnight Ron"  
"Thanks Harry" Said Ron, as he lay down again. Tomorrow was defiantly going to be hard for him. 


	10. Complications

Chapter 10: Complications  
  
The next morning Ron felt horrible. He decided that breakfast wasn't a good idea (since he felt sick already), made his excuses to Harry, and walked out of the castle to go to see Hagrid. He didn't know who else to turn to. Harry had his head in the clouds over Cho, and the other two people he would have talked to were the very problem he wanted to talk about.  
As he reached Hagrid's hut, he heard another voice inside. To his surprise, as he walked in he found it was Neville Longbottom.  
"Hello there Ron!" Hagrid began cheerfully as always. "Have a sit down, I'm just talking to Neville 'ere 'bout me class..."  
Ron sat down, really wishing Neville would let Ron talk to Hagrid alone.  
"I think I'll be alright now Hagrid." Neville stated. "I'm just a little slower catching on than the rest of the class."  
"Alright, Neville. Just make sure you read the chapters that I say in the book, and you'll do fine."  
"Thanks." Neville said sincerely as he picked up his belongings and turned to go. "See you later, both of you!" He glanced at Ron and Hagrid quickly, then made his way out of the door. Ron felt slightly sorry for Neville. His magic never seemed to come off quite right, and he was still quite shy, despite knowing everyone for about four years now. His attention was turned back to Hagrid.  
"What can I do for you then Ron?" Hagrid asked, still cheerful.  
"Well, I need some advice..." Ron replied hesitantly. He wondered if Hagrid was really the right person to be talking to...  
"About the class?" Hagrid questioned.  
"No, it's more of a personal thing..." Ron reluctantly decided that he couldn't talk to any other teacher about his problems, so Hagrid would have to do...  
"Ahh.." Hagrid seemed to know what was coming, and also became slightly uncomfortable about it.  
"It's about Hermionie..." Ron started... Hagrid seemed to be a step ahead, but in the wrong direction...  
"So you've finally admitted to yourself how you feel about her! That's good... About time too... I knew when I first met the lot of you that you'd taken a shine to her..." Hagrid seemed relieved that he wasn't going to have to give a huge speech on the subject.  
"That's not all..." Ron broke in before Hagrid really put his foot in it.  
"What happened?" Hagrid went back to being uncomfortable.  
"I went downstairs last night, " Ron felt his stomach churn as he began to explain the events of the previous night. "And I saw Marcus and Hermionie kissing in the common room."  
"Ron, I'm sorry..." Hagrid offered. "I don't know what I can say... It may seem harsh, but I'm afraid that sometimes this kind of thing happens..."  
"But why?" Ron seemed desperate again.  
"I don't know Ron... All I can say is that in my experience, everything happens for a reason, and it does all work out alright in the end." It seemed to Hagrid that this didn't appear to help Ron much, but Ron didn't let it show.  
"Hagrid, I think I love her." Ron poured his heart out with these words. He felt better for saying it though.  
"I know Ron... When I was your age there was a girl that I thought I was in love with for about three years, but it turned out that we were just meant to be the best of friends. I don't know if that's much help right now, but it's the best I can offer." Ron seemed to appreciate Hagrid's effort, and noticed that it was just about time for Quidditch practice.  
"Thank you Hagrid... You've been a great help..." Ron stated, trying not to sound corny.   
"I'm always here Ron, just drop in if you need any help..." Ron got up and made his way to the door.  
"Hagrid?"  
"Yes Ron..."  
"What happened to that girl you told me about?" Hagrid looked sad at this question.  
"She was killed by you-know-who." He finally replied, with an obvious effort to hold back his own feelings.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't realise..." Ron apologised, but Hagrid didn't seem to mind.  
"It's okay Ron. Just go and practice... I'll put in a word for you with Madam Hooch about the school team..."  
"Wow! Thanks Hagrid!" Ron cheered up for a moment, though he doubted that Hagrid's words would have any effect on the selection process. With that he walked slightly more briskly back to the castle.  
  
While Ron was talking to Hagrid, Hermionie was back in her dorm room looking out over the grounds, as she did every time she needed to think... There was nothing wrong with her kissing Marcus, in fact, it felt very right... Then why did she feel she needed to explain to Ron what had happened? It wasn't like they had ever been together and she was moving on to someone else. It was so complicated, for both of them...   
As she sat down again, a letter fell beside her by Owl-Mail (now affectionately called O-Mail). It was from the last person she would have expected a letter from at the time. And it only served to make things more complicated... She recognised the writing on it almost immediately. It was from Viktor Krum. She opened it with a nervous excitement. It had been a long time since they had last written to each other, so she hurriedly started to read...  
  
"Dear Hermionie,  
Greeting from the Durmstrang institute, Viktor here... It seems we'll be seeing each other again soon... I have been selected for the school Quidditch team, and our first match is against Hogwarts near Christmas... It'll be just like old times...   
See you soon,  
With love from Viktor"  
  
She felt her head spin. In one way she was happy to see Viktor again, but in another, he might think that they would still be going out. His English had improved a great deal since the last time she saw him... She decided that she had to tell Marcus about him, and sooner rather than later... She stared through the window again, and saw Ron walking back towards the front door.   
"It must be time for Quidditch practice" she thought out loud, and made her way downstairs then out to the practice field... 


	11. Old Friends

Chapter 11: Old Friends  
  
Two weeks later, the Hogwarts Quidditch team was announced over dinner. Dumbledore began by congratulating all the players who tried out for the team, then began to read names according to house.  
"From Gryffindor; Harry Potter, Marcus Greenstone and Ron Weasley." Dumbledore announced with a certain amount of pride in his voice. Needless to say, the Gryffindor table exploded with cheers, and even some of the other tables applauded politely. The Slytherin table seemed to remain silent with resentment as usual. Once the rest of the team was announced, Dumbledore made another announcement.  
"The first match will be against the Durmstrang Institute on Christmas Eve. It will be followed by the Christmas ball in the evening. The match will begin at two in the afternoon, and the ball will begin at eight."  
  
After the meal, Harry met Cho in the corridor outside the hall.  
"Congratulations Harry, I knew you'd do it..." Cho gave him a little kiss to congratulate him again.  
"Thanks!" Said Harry, now beaming with happiness.  
"You'd better get that Snitch for me..."  
"It's in the bag..." Harry said confidently, despite the fact that he strongly doubted that he could beat Viktor Krum...  
  
Marcus and Ron seemed to be getting on better over the past week, and Ron seemed to have accepted that Hermionie had made her choice. Due to this fact, the five (including Cho) went to celebrate at "The Three Broomsticks" at the weekend. It was there that they ran into some old friends. They strolled casually into "The Three Broomsticks", towards their usual table, saying hello to the other various regulars in the process. Then they noticed that their table was taken... But they were soon glad it was, as they recognised Fred, George, Oliver Wood and the rest of last year's Gryffindor Quidditch team.  
"Harry!" They cried out almost in unison... Harry was dumbstruck. He knew Fred and George were visiting soon, but didn't realise that they'd re-unite the team...  
"It's so good to see you all again!" Fred said cheerfully as he got up and started shaking the hands of everyone. Hermionie introduced Marcus to the rest of them.  
"This is Marcus Greenstone, he's new this year, an excellent beater, and also my boyfriend!"  
"Cool!" George got up as well, and everyone made room for the five to sit.  
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked, though he suspected the answer already.  
"What else for? The school Quidditch of course" Oliver Wood had always been the world's number one Quidditch fan, and he hadn't changed a bit.  
"We heard you three all made the team... What positions are you playing?" Asked Angelina.  
"Well, Marcus and Ron are the beaters, and Harry's naturally the seeker..." Cho spoke up for the first time.  
"Are you two... you know..." Fred asked, motioning to Harry and Cho, who smiled and replied happily.  
"Yeah, we're going out..." Fred and George began wolf whistles on cue before Wood intervened again...  
"So Harry, do you think you're going to be able to beat Krum and Durmstrang?" Hermionie's ears pricked up with the mention of Krum, but Harry answered confidently.  
"Yeah, course I can beat him. I've got two of the best beaters in the world on my side, and a few new tricks up our sleeves." He winked, looking cunning.  
"How's Ginny doing?" George asked, showing some concern that the only supervision his little sister was getting was from Ron.  
"She's doing great," Ron replied. "A real asset to the team."  
Hermionie was next to speak.  
"How's the joke business going then guys?"  
"Not too bad, but we've got some ideas on the horizon that will blow you away... Literally!" Fred responded eagerly. George had an idea...  
"We could ask Dumbledore if we could sell some things at the game next week!" He proposed with noticeable enthusiasm. Ron seemed to agree.  
"Dumbledore seems very relaxed recently, I think he'd probably let you, as long as the stuff's not too stupid..."  
"Or dangerous." Hermionie added.  
"Hey! It's us!" Fred and George said at the same time, trying to sound slightly offended... The conversation went on for another three hours before it was noticed that they should be back at school in half an hour. This prompted a rapid goodbye, and promises to catch up again soon. They only just made it back to school before Snape could put them into detention... 


	12. Investigations

Chapter 12: Investigations   
  
Later that evening, during the weekly story-telling in front of the fire given by various members of Gryffindor, rumours began to circle. At first, none of them seemed coherent, but as the truths were sorted out, if became apparent that five Ravenclaw students had not returned from Hogsmeade that day... Harry resolved to talk to Cho about it at breakfast next morning.   
"Yeah, any excuse..." Ron joked, in better spirits than over the previous weeks. Seeing his brothers obviously helped.   
  
As it turned out, Harry didn't need to talk to Cho before he found out what had happened. Dumbledore made a special announcement at breakfast saying that five Ravenclaws had indeed gone missing, and the matter was being handled appropriately. He also urged the entire student body to be on the look-out for any suspicious activity... As soon as he could, Harry found Cho, who seemed very upset by the disappearances.   
"Who was it?" Harry asked.   
"My two best friends, and the other three are in my dorm room as well."   
"Did they say anything suspect before they went out yesterday?" He seemed to want to investigate...   
"No, they were normal, just joking about us..." She gave as small smile as she finished her sentence. Harry smiled back. He would probably have investigated anyway, but since it was two of Cho's best friends, then he would make sure he got Hermionie and Ron on the case as well.   
"I'll see if I can find out anything about what happened, okay?" He tried to look reassuring. "I'll talk to you after dinner..."   
"Okay." She said, looking slightly more comforted.   
"See you later..." Harry said as he kissed her cheek and walked back to the Gryffindor common room.   
  
He walked through the portrait of the fat lady and sat down beside Ron at the fire place.   
"How is she?" He asked.   
"A bit shaken up really..." Harry replied. "Two of the girls that disappeared were her best friends."   
"I'm sorry." Ron stated. Harry continued as Hermionie and Marcus appeared and sat.   
"Did anyone know what happened?" The three shook their heads.   
"The last people to see them were in "The Three Broomsticks" about the same time we left... That means they would have been coming back even later than us." Marcus offered, feeling that it didn't help very much. Harry sighed, then looked up to Ron and Hermionie, who gave him an "oh no, not again" look. Harry spoke.   
"Then we hit the books, find out if anything like this has happened before... And if so why..." Ron's head dropped.   
"I hate that library..." he said. Marcus, however, seemed to relish the intrigue and he and Hermionie offered to go and look straight away. Harry gratefully accepted, and said that he would talk to some people around the room before meeting up with them in divination class. Ron told them he would go and talk to Hagrid to see if he knew anything that the teachers had been saying... Checking the time until the class, each went to begin the search for clues.   
  
Ron went to Hagrid quickly, since he was certain that he would know something, at least from the teachers. As he reached Hagrid's hut, he noticed that Neville was there again, this time Hagrid seemed to be showing him some small furry creature Ron didn't recognise. He knocked on the door, then entered.   
"Hi Neville, Hagrid. What's up?"   
"Hi Ron!" Neville was surprisingly the first to speak. "Hagrid was just showing me this Dolmalian Tiershalen."   
"It's a harmless house-pet really." Hagrid spoke up. "Thought Neville would like it..."   
"It's great!" Neville said. Ron detected more confidence in Neville's voice. Maybe having Hagrid as a friend was letting him lose his shyness.   
"Well Neville, come back in a couple of days, it'll have grown about a foot by then." Hagrid offered, while Ron wondered what kind of thing Hagrid might describe as a house-pet, and everyone else might think of as a menace to society. Hagrid always seemed to like those sorts of things. Neville decided that he had some books to collect before divination class, so he made his exit with a smile on his face.   
"Well, Ron, what can I do for you?" Hagrid asked, slightly bracing himself for what might come.   
"It's just a little thing really..." Ron started. "It's about the girls from Ravenclaw that disappeared yesterday."   
"I can't tell you much Ron, you know the teachers are handling it."   
"So you know what happened then?" Ron was intent on making more progress than Hermionie, to put her in her place for once.   
"Well, sort of... But this is strictly between you and me... Okay?"   
"As long as you don't mind me telling Harry and Herm..." Ron stated, thinking it better to be honest with Hagrid at least.   
"Okay. The girls didn't disappear, they were kidnapped." Said Hagrid in a whisper. "They were taken by some people dressed as knights... That's what the people who were there say at least."   
"Why did they take them?" Ron asked quietly.   
"We don't know, and we don't know where they went. Dumbledore thinks he may have a lead, but that's all I know." Hagrid finished, and looked around to check nobody had listened in.   
"Thanks Hagrid, you're amazing..." Ron got up and went to the door. Hagrid called after him.   
"Ron, don't meddle with the investigation. Dumbledore'll have things sorted out in no time. And get the four of you to come and see me soon... Harry especially."   
Ron promised he would, and then sped back to the castle, just making it into the divination class as the lesson was starting.   
  
"What did Hagrid tell you?" Harry asked as the lesson ended and he contemplated how many was it was possible for him to die, and how many of these had been predicted over the course of all of the divination classes.   
"For the four of us to go and see him..." Ron told Harry. "He told me..." He pulled Harry to the side of the corridor and checked the coast was clear before explaining what Hagrid had told him. They then went to the library where they found Marcus and Hermionie engrossed in "Hogwarts, Recent History".   
"Harry, look at this... The same thing happened just before the time your parents would have been here..." Hermionie announced as he came into ear-shot. She read from the page... "...The kidnapping was later attributed to the Knights of Soctaria, a group of highly trained swordsmen loyal to you-know-who. The reason for the kidnapping was never discovered, but the Knights went into hiding when Harry Potter... Blah, blah, blah... You know the rest of the Harry Potter lives story by now, don't you?"   
"It's all I ever hear..." Harry said, intrigued by the findings. "Ron, you said that the kidnappers were dressed as knights when the Ravenclaw girls were taken, right?"   
"Yeah, that's what Hagrid told me."   
"I think it's time to pay him a visit..." Said Marcus.   
"Hold on." Said Hermionie. "This is very circumstantial evidence, and we have potions in five minutes. Hagrid will have to wait."   
"But we won't get to see him until Sunday now..." Ron protested, eager to continue their run of findings. The school Quidditch would take up half of Saturday, and then there was the ball...   
"It'll have to do. Now we better get to potions, I bet Snape'd take us out of the Quidditch at any opportunity, we better not be late." Harry sounded resigned, but serious as he said this. It was indeed true that Snape had begun hating him again since the team was selected...


	13. Pre-Match Build-Up

Chapter 13: Pre-match build-up...   
  
On Friday evening, after another torturous potions lesson ended, the Durmstrang Quidditch team arrived with a substantial following. Despite Marcus's attempts to make a sharp exit back to the common room the four were soon embroiled in what was rapidly becoming a war of words between the schools. Hermionie made a quick exit to the girls toilets to avoid the testosterone being flung around by the guys, and also to avoid Viktor Krum.   
"So, Greenstone, you got selected... Should be a walk over if you're in the Hogwarts team..." Krum began. Harry had almost forgotten that Marcus knew them all.   
"Yeah, we'll walk over you!" Ron responded on Marcus's behalf.   
"Don't even get me started on you Weasel." Krum spat the words at Ron.   
"You better watch it Viktor, you'll only be left picking the crumbs from his feet by the end of the game!" Harry turned to see who the new voice belonged to. To his shock he saw Draco Malfoy. He whispered to him as Krum composed a response.   
"What are you doing here?"   
"Loyalty to Slytherin comes second only to loyalty to Hogwarts..." He said quietly. "In this case at least." Harry was confused, but glad that Malfoy wouldn't be helping Krum.   
Krum and his band of followers seemed ready for a fight, and were fast going about getting one when Professor McGonagall entered the scene.   
"What's going on here?" She began. "You should all be in the great hall, run along now..." Shooting death glares at each other the party made it's way to the hall, under the watchful eye of Professor McGonagall. Hermionie had caught up by this time, and she managed to avoid Krum for long enough to talk to Marcus about him.   
"...So you see it's all in his head, I don't love him, and..." She was finishing what must have been a speech that lasted a full five minutes. Marcus finally broke in...   
"Herm, I know about what happened with you and Viktor... And I also know it's in the past. You don't need to worry, I trust you completely." He sounded reassuring and calm, so Hermionie breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I just hope he realises it's in the past as well." With those words Hermionie tensed up again.   
"I can't just go and tell him that I'm dating you now... He'd be devastated..."   
"There is another way..." Marcus said, with a suspicious look on his face which suggested that he had developed some kind of plan in his head.   
"Yes..." She answered tentatively.   
"Well, he won't think that you still have feelings for him if he sees you with me, right?"   
"Right..."   
"So he just has to see us having some "desert", if you know what I mean..." Marcus seemed playful, and also seemed to think that the plan was perfect...   
"Very convenient for you..." She responded quickly, with Marcus moving closer to her and saying, almost before she had finished...   
"Very..." Giving her a little kiss as they rounded the corner and entered the hall... Harry looked back for Viktor, who seemed to be lagging to far behind to see them...   
"Hate to burst your little bubble, but he's too far behind to see..." Harry told them...   
"A little practice never hurt anyone..." Marcus responded as they walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down.   
  
Later in the meal, Ron noticed Viktor taking an unusually large amount of interest in their little gang. As if on cue, Hermionie leaned across and kissed Marcus for a few seconds, almost laughing as she did. A few minutes later, Marcus excused himself to go to the bathroom. As he expected, Krum followed him. As they went out of earshot of the hall, and around a corner Krum called out...   
"Greenstone..."   
"Viktor..." Marcus's response was one which suggested that he was happy to see Krum, despite Krum's own call being full of resentment.   
"What are you doing with Herm-own-ninni?" Marcus noted that Viktor still couldn't pronounce her name...   
"Hermionie? She and I are dating..." Marcus decided to go for the straight to the point honest method... Viktor moved closer, and Marcus noticed Ron, Harry, Cho and Hermionie poking their heads around the corner.   
"She is with me..." He stated as if Hermionie was his property.   
"Well, last time I checked, which was only five minutes ago as I remember, she was not only with me, but thought you had missed the boat..."   
"What boat?" Viktor hadn't mastered figures of speech, obviously.   
"It's an expression, Vick. It means you missed your chance..."   
"Herm-own-ninny loves me. She told me so herself. You will not see her..."   
"Stop me!" Marcus asked, anticipating Viktor's response and bracing himself. This was obviously a wise move, as Viktor proved to have a powerful left hook. Marcus fell to the ground, and Harry had to hold Hermionie back from going to tend to him.   
"That was a bad move Vick." Marcus said, getting up again. "There are very strict rules about fighting at Hogwarts."   
"It does not matter. Hogwarts rules do not apply to me. I do not study here."   
"Shame. It'd be fun to watch Harry beat you to the Snitch on a weekly basis." The on-lookers smiled, but Marcus got floored again. He got up quicker this time, eager to carry on the argument... "Really Viktor, two free punches and I still feel nothing. You temper hasn't improved since last we met."   
"You are a traitor to Durmstrang." Krum announced.   
"Really?"   
"You dishonour Herm-own-ninny and yourself."   
"That's what this is really about, isn't it Vick. Because I dared to go against you, twice... Well why don't we settle it, right here, right now?"   
The on-lookers smiled, but soon felt a huge sense of concern for Marcus. He may have been a good beater, but he didn't seem like he could do much in a fight...   
"Not now..." Viktor said. "We must finish the feast."   
"Very well..." Marcus replied. "Sunday then... 3 o'clock, in the field outside "The Three Broomsticks"... Sound fair?"   
"Fine..." Viktor looked at Marcus with an obvious hate. Marcus made a small motion to Harry and the others, who sprinted back to the hall, and Marcus himself started to walk past Viktor, whispering to him as he passed him.   
"Be there, friend..."   
Viktor elected not to respond, and took another route back to the hall.   
  
In the Gryffindor common room later, it seemed like the whole house was listening to Harry and Ron recite the story, with Marcus and Hermionie sitting with each other, laughing when Harry exaggerated too much. When it got to the part where Viktor threw punches (five, according to Harry) Hermionie called out "My hero!" and gave Marcus another kiss. Ron seemed particularly impressed by the part where Marcus joked about Harry and the Snitch. Harry only hoped that he could make good Marcus's boasts about his talent...   
  
Needless to say, the house was brimming with excitement over the match. So much so, in fact, that nobody got more than two hours of sleep that night.   
The morning was a beautiful sight to greet the players, but most didn't notice, intrigued by the gift that had appeared, courtesy of O-Mail, on the end of Ron's bed...   
Harry, being the first awake, was the first to notice... He immediately woke Ron and together they read the message, addressed to Ron, Harry, Marcus and Hermionie...   
  
Dear Ron, Harry, Marcus and Hermionie,   
I heard about the Quidditch team from Harry, and I decided that Ron could use a little extra help in the game... You've all got your work cut out for you today, but I know you'll do great... There may be some more good news on the horizon, but I can't give anything away yet... Keep well, and good luck for the game...   
Your friend,   
Black Dog   
PS To Harry, Marcus and Hermionie - I hope you like the gifts I'm sending to you before this evening... They'll be on your beds after the match...   
  
Ron literally tore through the wrappings of the package, and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the contents... A Nimbus 2002... He almost fainted... The 2002 wasn't quite as good as a Firebolt, but it was a hell of a lot better than the old piece of wood he'd been practising on...   
"Ron, wow!" Marcus had woken up due to the excitement being shouted about from Ron.   
"Man, Padfoot sent you a Nimbus... I thought he'd just give you his old thing..." Harry started. Obviously he had told Sirius about Ron's old broom.   
"Harry, you're the best..." Was all Ron could manage... He went down to breakfast nearly ecstatic, and for the first time in a while, he completely forgot about Hermionie...   
  
After breakfast, the entire team assembled in the dressing room for the Hogwarts team. It had been decided the week before that they would meet at exactly noon, giving themselves two hours to mentally prepare. As it turned out, they sat in near perfect silence for an hour and a half, with fifteen minutes spent talking tactics in the middle...   
Fifteen minutes to go... Madam Hooch came and announced. Then as was anticipated, Dumbledore came in... At Hogwarts, it was not usual to stand when a teacher entered, or indeed when Dumbledore entered, but it showed the tension and apprehension that every member of the team stood to attention as Dumbledore spoke...   
"As you know, this Quidditch match marks the beginning of a new era in the School Quidditch level. Hogwarts has always prided itself on producing excellent players, and it is now your chance to show the Wizarding World what you can do... So be proud, be honourable, and be courageous. This is your game... Make it your victory..." He spoke with a compassion, yet a driving force into the hearts of every player. After he had finished, he didn't wait. He turned, left, and shut the door behind him. Thirty seconds later he heard loud, fired up yelling from the room. Lions ready to face any opponent... Dumbledore smiled, and remembered the same enthusiasm in himself when he was playing... Madam Hooch peered around the door.   
"It's time..."


	14. The Big Match

Chapter 14: The Big Match   
  
Hogwarts Quidditch team, dressed in purple, marched into the arena. As they came onto the pitch they were greeted with huge cheers from the crowd. It seemed the whole school had attended, as well as hundreds of well-wishers and other Quidditch fans. Fred and George conjured streamers, and it seemed that they had sold quite a few of their banners saying "Hogwarts Forever", "Down with Durmstrang", "Durmstrang Stink" and other messages along the same lines... All it needed was a tap of the wand and the message would change... The players truly realised what an occasion this was to be.   
The Durmstrang players entered from the other end, to "boos" from the Hogwarts contingent, but small cheers from their travelling fans... The two teams lined up eye to eye as Madam Hooch gave a short speech about fairness... Viktor and Marcus squared off. Krum looked seriously angry, but Marcus simply smiled back at him.   
After the speech, the teams took to the air, and the match began...   
  
It seemed to Harry that as soon as the match began, the Hogwarts team was in trouble. Big trouble. Ron and Marcus were playing well enough, but the rest of the team seemed to be having a bad day, and before too long, the score was 60-10 to Durmstrang. Every pass the Hogwarts chasers attempted was blocked, and the few shots they did manage were blocked easily.   
Hagrid observed with Hermionie and Cho in the stands...   
"They're being slaughtered!" Hagrid seemed shaken, his pride in Hogwarts never diminished.   
"No... You have to pass the Quaffle..." Cho was shouting at the players, obviously desperate to be making a difference herself...   
"Come on you idiots, get it together" Hermionie shouted, evidently swept up by the atmosphere.   
"This is bad..." Hagrid observed, looking at the scoreboard, which had just turned to 80-10...   
Matters were made worse by the insults thrown from Marcus to Viktor, and back again. Krum flew close to Harry...   
"You should watch out for Greenstone, he's not what he seems to be..."   
"Shut up Krum!" Harry replied, and faking a sudden sight of the snitch, he dropped through a crowd of players, then pulled up before hitting the grass... Viktor was completely fooled, and spent a minute following Harry around the pitch before realising what was going on. Harry was amused...   
"Little nervous Viktor? Or should I call you Vick?" Krum looked like he was about to charge at Harry, but elected not to as the Durmstrang chasers put another ten points on the score board.   
Hogwarts were playing terribly. They called a time out when the score reached 140-20. Michael gave them simple instructions...   
"We've just got to keep the score difference less than 150, and we can still win. Harry, Marcus, Ron... We'll only get one shot at this... When the snitch comes out, you know what to do. We'll just have to take the hits on the chin."   
"Ron, you take the first attempt at Krum, I'll finish him..." Marcus proposed. The plan had been worked out way in advance, and each person knew what had to be done. Ron agreed and the team took to the sky again, this time with a clear sense of what had to be done.   
Almost as soon as play resumed, Harry saw the snitch. Viktor saw it too, a fraction of a second later. Marcus and Ron recognised Harry's signal and flew in tandem, controlling a bludger between them.   
Harry and Viktor approached the snitch, but Ron was almost on top of it already. Marcus hit the bludger towards Ron, who smashed it straight for Krum... Viktor saw it and dived to the right, away from the path of the snitch... However, Marcus anticipated his movement, and moved to the bludger, now out of Krum's sight... Again the bludger was aimed at Krum's head, and it was going to hit it... Hogwarts got lucky again... The score was now 170-60 (the Durmstrang team was preoccupied by the action around the snitch, so Hogwarts scored a few easy points) and the second bludger was headed for Ron. He smiled as time seemed to slow down. He again smashed the bludger, and this time, Krum had no way to get out of the way... The two bludgers arrived at him at almost the exact same time, one hitting him right on the mouth, and one half way down his back. He almost fell from his broom accompanied by the largest cheer from the crowd. Oliver Wood (who was doing an excellent job of commentating) was ecstatic... Some of the best world cup teams couldn't stop Krum, but Ron and Marcus had done it... It was not long after the first cheer died down that Harry grabbed the snitch, winning the game for Hogwarts. The crowd again went crazy. Harry too was ecstatic... He had caught the snitch, just as he promised Cho he would...   
  
As he landed next to Ron and Marcus, the three were immediately swamped by the most enthusiastic fans, including Oliver, Fred and George. After a bit of hand shaking and congratulating, Cho and Hermionie broke through the crown, giving Harry and Marcus an enthusiastic kiss each, before crushing Ron between them... The three stars were then carried from the field (crowd surfing) and dropped off in the Hogwarts dressing room, which was now full of sweets and drinks (courtesy of the Weasley brothers, of course), and the real celebrations began...   
  
The post-match party was short, (due to the fact that everyone wanted to get ready for the ball) but highly enjoyable. Harry was a hero, again, but Ron gained a large amount of credibility for being the one who broke Krum's jaw-bone... After the most boisterous part of the celebration had died down, Dumbledore came in and said a quick "Well done" speech, (largely ignored due to the fantastic mood of the players) and told them to finish up before they made themselves feel sick before the ball. It seemed that the team forgot any concept of anything other than Quidditch, evolving into the Oliver Wood attitude of "Quidditch is life.", and Marcus also forgot that tomorrow he would have to fight a now VERY angry Viktor Krum...


	15. Pre-Ball Nerves

Chapter 15: Pre-Ball Nerves   
  
When Harry, Ron and Marcus finally made it back to the Gryffindor common room, it was nearly six o'clock, leaving them two hours to get ready. They walked briskly up to the dorm room, where on Harry and Marcus's beds there were gifts from Sirius. Harry received a book of spells to help with his dancing, (he was known to be less than confident in the area) and Marcus also got a set of spells, most of which were to be used to create magical versions of electrical instruments (specifically guitar, bass and keyboards) as well as spells to conjure bands from the Muggle world. Harry read the card.   
  
"To Harry and Marcus,   
Sorry it's not very original, but it's hard to find gifts when you're a dog... Harry, I know you don't like dancing too much, so this is just a little helping hand... Marcus, ask Hermionie why I sent you these...   
I hope you all enjoy tonight, and write me soon to tell me about it... (I won't be there for obvious reasons)... Keep out of trouble,   
Your friend,   
Black Dog"   
  
Padfoot's got good taste in gifts, Ron noticed...   
"Why did he send you a set of spells about guitars and music Marcus?" He asked, confused.   
"It says ask Hermionie, so that's what I'll have to do..." Marcus tried to look confused as well.   
Harry was already studying the dance spells...   
"Thank heavens for this... Now I don't have to make up loads of excuses not to dance!" He said, obviously pleased...   
  
They spent the next forty minutes getting ready, and trying to relax... Finally they went downstairs to wait in the common room, but were sure they had forgotten something in their nervousness...   
After another half an hour (And numerous jokes about how women take so long to get ready) the girls began to flow down from their dorm. At last Hermionie appeared. The three guys almost fell over backwards when they saw her... She had put her hair up into a bun on the back of her head, and was wearing a beautiful blue dress which suited her perfectly. She walked elegantly to where the guys were standing with their jaws on the floor...   
"Well good evening..." She said in a slightly more posh tone than usual.   
"Hermionie... Wow! You look amazing!" Marcus managed to string the first sentence together.   
"Thank you, you all look very handsome as well..." She said, checking out the guys in their black tuxedos...   
"I think I have something for you..." Marcus 'remembered', and turned, conjured a white rose, and gave it to her... The look on her face was priceless, she smiled so sweetly as she pinned the rose to the strap of her dress.   
"Where did the dress come from?" Harry asked.   
"The great Black Dog." She said... "He has excellent taste."   
"And obviously wads of cash" Ron added, judging by the fact that the dress looked like it cost an arm and a leg, and his new broom probably cost more than that...   
"Shall we go?" Harry asked, eager to see Cho.   
"In a minute, Marcus has to pick up his guitar..." Hermionie replied, looking sweetly at Marcus, who looked back, shocked... He forced a smile...   
"Guitar?" Asked Harry and Ron in almost the same voice.   
"Herm... I told you, I don't play for people, just me..." Marcus said nervously, hoping it was just a joke on Hermionie's part...   
"Marcus, I asked Dumbledore especially... He seems to have a love of music of all types, and he thinks you're very talented..."   
"Okay, Dumbledore's never heard me sing, how could he know how good I am?"   
"Harry's not the only one with an invisibility cloak..." She said, with her sweet smile turning to one of deviousness... Harry and Ron spoke up...   
"Marcus, it'll be so cool to have live music, especially if you're playing it..."   
"Come on, it'll be fun..."   
Hermionie decided the argument was won... "Give the people what they want Marcus... You can use some of those spells Black Dog sent you..." (Evidently this had been her plan all along)   
"Fine, give me a minute to fetch them..." He walked off, starting to smile when he realised the freedom he had just been given...   
A couple of minutes later he returned with the spells and guitar, and they set off towards the Ravenclaw common room, where Harry had agreed to meet Cho... **She looks beautiful** thought Harry as he rounded the corner and saw Cho in her black dress. He conjured a red rose behind his back, and as he approached her, he held it out, putting on a posh voice...   
"My lady..."   
Cho played along... "Good sir..." They laughed...   
"You look like a vision..." Harry tried to be poetic.   
"You look great too..." Cho said, taking the rose, and pinning it to her dress as Hermionie had done. She noticed the others, especially Ron, who was looking around, a bit despondent, and slightly board. "Did no-one ask him?" She whispered to Harry...   
"Oh, people asked him, he just said no. He says if he can't go with the person he really wants to go with, then he'll go alone." Harry responded.   
"Hey Ron," Cho said... Ron looked round... "Save me a dance, okay?" Ron nodded, slightly taken aback by Cho's request... She turned back to Harry and linked arms with him. "That should make him feel a bit better..."   
They walked to the hall, Marcus mentally preparing himself, and wondering what songs to play... Hermionie and Cho giggling frequently as they whispered to each other, and Ron and Harry doing their best to look like upstanding English gentlemen... 


	16. The Winter Ball

Chapter 16: The Winter Ball  
  
They finally reached the great hall, which was already bustling with people from every house, both sitting and dancing to some music which had been zapped in by Professor McGonagall a few minutes earlier. The hall was wonderfully decorated, with not only the sky, but the walls also enchanted to look like a thick, snow-covered forest, with the stars providing a glow effect to show up the whiteness of the snow. There were tables for six people each around the outsides of the hall, and a large dance-floor in the middle. The Professors table remained at one end, and at the other was a stage large enough for a good seven person band... "Alright..." Marcus tried to calm himself as he walked to the stage. "Have fun, you'll do great..." Hermionie said to him, but he hardly noticed. Harry walked beside him, having just looked at the spells from Black. "If I were you..." He began..."I'd just zap in a load of cool gear, a great band, and go crazy. If people don't like you, at least you'll have had fun..." "Thanks Harry..." Marcus replied with a devious smile on his face, which made Harry slightly worried. Marcus stood beside the stage, and began to conjure... Guitars, drums, keyboard and bass... He also conjured a backing band to add to the illusion... Marcus smiled as he realised what he could do... "Hi everyone..." He said tentatively into the microphone he had created. Everyone cheered, not really understanding why... "We're gonna play some songs for you this evening, we hope you enjoy the show..." He moved away from the mic... Before long, the whole room was rocking along to the Neil Young classic "Rocking In The Free World", going into loud applause and cheers in each of the solos... The song ended, and everyone in the room applauded... Marcus was much more relaxed now, so he decided to get onto some slower songs. After he played two or three, he decided to play "Bed Of Roses" for Hermionie. After they finished, he spoke again... "Thank you... This next song is dedicated to Hermionie... This is called "Bed Of Roses", and it goes something like this..." The band played... Meanwhile, Ron had asked Hermionie to dance, and they took to the floor, although visibly trying to keep their distance. As Marcus sang the first verse, Hermionie began to talk to Ron. "We can't dance like this..." She said, as she pulled him closer. Ron felt nervous, but appeared more comfortable at this distance. They continued to move closer as the song approached the solo, and by the time Marcus had sung the middle section they were almost as close as Harry and Cho... Marcus played the solo brilliantly, but Ron and Hermionie hardly seemed to notice, as they stared into each others eyes and leaned towards each other. Harry realised what was going to happen, but was too far away to do anything about it... Ron was going to kiss Hermionie... Thankfully, they got shaken out of the moment they were sinking into by the power chords struck by Marcus, half way through the last verse. Ron and Hermionie went back to dancing farther apart, and at the end of the song, sat down at their table. After a few more love-songs, Marcus said goodbye to the band, and sang solo for a while. Firstly, an electric guitar instrumental, then more acoustic songs... Finally, he laid down his guitar, and asked the Professors to re-instate the music they had conjured earlier. However, Ron stopped them, and took a seat at the piano... He asked Marcus to play one more song with him, ("Always", by Bon Jovi) and they began... Ron singing and playing piano, Marcus on guitar... Ron wasn't as good a singer as Marcus was, but managed to hold his own as he sang... Both Cho and Harry noticed that Ron's eyes never left Hermionie throughout the entire song, but they thought that Marcus would be okay with it, since his eyes were also fixed on Hermionie, so he wouldn't have noticed Ron. Hermionie on the other hand, had noticed both of them, and was doing her best to avoid blushing and also to avoid eye contact. The rest of the evening past without incident, with everyone dancing with everyone else, and Harry's invention of five-some dancing, which got some laughs, but looked very stupid to the onlookers... Just as the night was coming to a close, Viktor Krum and five of his friends crashed the party... Marcus stepped towards them, but was flanked by Harry and Ron, and the nine of them stepped outside the castle... Viktor spoke... "You tricked me Greenstone... You knew we were leaving tomorrow morning... I say we fight here and now..." "You're going down..." Ron blurted out, enticing evil glares from Krum and his buddies. "He's right Vick." Marcus stated. "Bring it on... No magic, just bare knuckles..." "See you in hell..." Krum stated. "Harry, you take the three on the left, Ron, you take the one on the far right, I'll take Krum and the other one..." Marcus ordered, and without waiting for a response they charged... The next thing Ron saw was the ceiling of the medical wing. He got up out of the bed, put his feet on the floor, and threw up violently... Harry and Marcus were already there with Hermionie and Cho, and the six Durmstrang guys were on the other side of the room... "Did we take them out?" Ron asked hopefully... Harry and Marcus walked over to him and sat with him on the bed... "Well..." Harry started... "Hell yes!" Marcus broke in... "We nailed them..." He continued as Cho and Hermionie joined them... "Not really..." Cho explained... "You got knocked out with the first punch, but after that, Harry knocked out of the Durmstrang guys, breaking his fist... Then kicked another one's jaw, breaking it in three places... When the third Durmstrang guy saw what was going on he started to run, but tripped over you and hit his head on a rock... Marcus took out the fourth Durmstrang guy with a head-butt, hence the huge bruise there..." She pointed at Marcus's head, which had indeed grown larger and blacker than previously... "And he was in a slugging match with Krum when we came along with Hagrid... Needless to say, the sight of Hagrid with fists at the ready was a good incentive to stop..." Hermionie finished the story... "Good... We won..." Ron said... "Hold onto that thought..." Harry said as Dumbledore came into the room. He didn't look happy. In fact Harry felt quite scared of him. Somehow he felt that he wasn't going to burst into a smile and congratulate them on their fighting skills. He stared at the three guys for a few moments. "I should expel you..." He stated... Harry feared that that was exactly what he was going to do... "Unfortunately, I can't expel Harry Potter, and since all of your punishments must be equal, that means I cannot expel any of you. However, before you start to congratulate yourselves, know this... Each of your guardians have been Owled about this... You are also banned from going to Hogsmeade until next year and I am taking 100 points from Gryffindor for each of you... Finally, it pains me to do this, but you are all withdrawn from the both house and school Quidditch teams until further notice..." With that, the great Headmaster turned and left... The five students stared at each other. This was monumental... Gryffindor had effectively lost the house cup... It would be impossible to investigate the disappearance of the Ravenclaw girls... They would be receiving Howlers for the rest of the month, if not for two months... And worst of all, they would not play Quidditch again that year... 


	17. The Aftershock

Chapter 17: The Aftershock  
  
None of the boys slept that night. Madame Pomfey had released them, but they felt terrible. They walked into the common room in the morning and the room emptied as if Voldermort had just appeared there with them. News of the previous night's activity had spread quickly, and by now the whole school knew the story. Hermionie and Cho stood up for the guys, but their influence was severely limited.  
"Should we go down to breakfast?" Marcus asked.  
"I feel sick..." Ron declared.  
"I could get Dobby to bring us up something later..." Harry suggested.  
"Maybe we just have to face the music..." Marcus sighed. He knew it was his fault, but he also knew that they couldn't live like this.  
"Or face the Howlers you mean..." Ron interjected.  
"Okay, I'm going..." Marcus said. "You can stay here and hide, or face it like a man..."  
"Well, it can't get much worse than this..." Harry decided, as the three walked out of the common room.  
"I doubt that strongly!" Ron laughed as they walked to the great hall. They entered to a mix of ironic cheers from the other three houses, and simple boos from the Gryffindor table. They sat at the very end of the table, and ate in silence. It was then that it happened. Three owls flew in from the far end of the hall, heading for Harry, Ron and Marcus. They immediately fell into panic.  
"Incoming!" Marcus yelled, obviously aware of the message that was being sent.  
"Run!" Shouted Ron, who had experienced this before with Neville. Harry, however, got out his wand, pointed at the air in front of the owls, and yelled "Quicken!".  
"What?" Ron screamed back at him and turning, "Slow them down you idiot!"  
"I did, fool!" Harry shouted at him, as the owls went into what looked like slow motion. He had altered the viscosity of air, and it was no behaving more like tar. "It won't hold them for long, run!" Just then, Draco worked a counter-spell on the air, and accompanied by laughs from the whole school Harry, Ron and Marcus ran out of the hall, reaching the common room just as the packages were dropped.  
"Lessunum sonnus!" Marcus said enclosing the room in one of his sound barrier spells... The three howlers went off at the same time... Two were from Mrs Weasley, who had taken it upon herself to punish Harry in the Wizard world, since it was obvious that the Dursleys wouldn't... The other was from Marcus's mother, who seemed to have an even louder voice than Mrs Weasley's double-tracked screams.  
The howlers lasted three minutes, but finally they stopped, and Marcus lifted the sound barrier spell.  
"This is really bad." Harry stated.  
"It could be worse..." Marcus replied half-heartedly.  
"I wish you hadn't said that." Ron finished, knowing that it probably would get a lot worse before it got better.  
  
Over the only next week, there were people who seemed to think that the punishment handed out by Dumbledore was a bit harsh (and also the twice daily Howlers). Neville and Hagrid seemed to have decided to forgive the three, but Draco and Snape were busy countering any positive influence that they had created. The only really place they could go was the library. At least there people had to keep silent, and they could deal with the death-stares by burying themselves in the books they were either studying or researching from. The research itself was going quite well. Hermionie and Ron had found out a great deal about the Knights of Soctaria, a group of wizards and witches who were very old-fashioned in their views, often using medieval methods rather than magic. This allowed them an easy cover for their magical abilities, and also a sense of tradition that they felt was lacking from the modern world. Marcus, Harry and Cho were working on locating the missing girls, but as yet hadn't found anything very useful.  
  
Cho spoke up as they needed a break. It was a Hogsmeade Saturday, and the guys had agreed that they shouldn't feel they had to stay at Hogwarts on their account.  
"I need a rest. Hermionie, wanna go to the three sticks?"  
"Okay!" Hermionie replied enthusiastically, but then lowering her mood, remembering the guys.  
"See you later!" They both said to the guys as they left the library and the boys headed to the common room which was now empty enough to be a safe place to walk for them... Marcus was now playing the guitar more and more, but was limited to sad songs, due to their downbeat mood...  
  
After roughly three hours of chess playing, guitar playing and general moaning, Hermionie ran into the common room, out of breath, Neville behind her. They were both noticeably agitated.  
"Hermionie, what's wrong?" Marcus asked as he got up to greet her.  
"The Knights... Cho... Couldn't stop them... Only just made it back..." She gasped.  
"They wanted to take Hermionie too, but I used a spell slow down the Knights as they tried to run after us..." Neville added, a lot more clearly than Hermionie. Harry was livid.  
"They took Cho? That's it, forget our punishment, we've got to find her, we've got to get her back..."  
"No, Harry, we don't know enough about the Knights yet, we should wait..." Ron said.  
"He's right Harry, we don't even know where to look..." Marcus added.  
"Well we have to do something!" Harry said with a desperation in his voice.  
"Not yet." Hermionie stated. "When we know enough, we'll go to Dumbledore and he'll help..."  
"That's your answer to everything isn't it... Go to Dumbledore? Yeah, why not... He'll be happy we've been investigating something which the teachers are supposed to be handling!" Harry had descended into major sarcasm, which was usually not a good sign.  
"We all need to take this one step at a time..." Ron started. "We can't do anything for a while, so we'll just have to wait a bit..."  
"Fine." Harry said, resigned. "Thank you for helping Neville..." He added, remembering the on-looker of the group...  
"No problem... Any time..." He replied, a glow on his face. Obviously helping the great Harry Potter made him feel special.  
  
Later that night, Harry began to hatch a scheme. He had noticed that he hadn't used his cloak in a while, and he also knew that nobody would miss him if he was gone... "No." He thought. You're in enough trouble already, no point in making more... But in the back of his head he kept the idea alive. Little did he know that Ron, Marcus and even Hermionie were thinking the same thoughts... 


	18. Further Investigations

Chapter 18: Further Investigations  
  
Next morning Harry talked with Ron and Marcus in their dorm room.  
"I've been thinking..." He began.  
"Here we go!" Ron said under his breath.  
"I think we should use the cloak." Harry stated in a matter-of-fact way.  
"No way!" Marcus said. "If Dumbledore found out, he really would expel us."  
"How's he gonna find out? We'll be invisible!" Ron said, enthusiastically, obviously eager to get some action again...  
"I don't know..." Marcus continued... "How would we do it?"  
"This is a Hogsmeade weekend, so we'll go through one of the tunnels on the Marauders Map." Harry replied.  
"It's not a good idea."  
"Well, put it this way, I'm going. I'm not forcing you two to come with me."  
"I'm coming!" Ron perked up quickly.  
"Coming where?" Neville asked from the other side of the room.  
"No-where..." The three replied simultaneously.  
"Now I'm really suspicious."   
"It's not your problem Neville." Harry said, not wanting to get anyone else involved in the plan.  
"Fine, but you know I'm always around if you need any help with anything."  
"Okay..." Harry responded again, not quite knowing what to make of Neville's new attitude. He seemed much more confident, and maybe more mature. He watched Neville leave, then turned back to Marcus. "Are you in?"   
"Harry, I don't think it's wise to..."  
"What would you do if it was Hermionie?"  
"Let's go." He replied instantly, and they picked up the gear and headed to the library to collect Hermionie.  
  
"Not a chance, it's too dangerous." Hermionie put up resistance immediately.  
"But you're the only one who knows where Cho was taken from..." Harry pleaded with her.  
"No..." She lowered her voice as she noticed it becoming louder. "Dumbledore'd have you out of here faster than you could plead him not to."  
"Hermionie... Please..." Harry was desperate.  
"I'm sorry." She said, and walked back towards the common room. Ron turned to Marcus.  
"Time to play the boyfriend card..." He said, slightly smiling.  
"No, Ron, I can't..." Marcus didn't want to persuade her to change her mind, but then he looked at Harry as he sat on the floor, looking depressed. "Fine..."  
Harry and Ron looked on as Marcus talked. After about five minute of Marcus and Hermionie "Discussing" the options, she walked back over to Harry, still sitting on the floor, and she offered to help him up. Soon the boys were under the cloak, and Hermionie walked with them to the tunnel.  
  
Hogsmeade was less crowded than usual this week. Evidently the Daily Prophet had reported the disappearance in much detail. Hermionie did her best to walk straight, despite the fact that she was talking to the invisible men. The only complication that was encountered was that Neville turned up and started talking to Hermionie as they reached the spot where Cho disappeared. Neville was polite, but seemed to have business of his own, so he moved on quickly. The four surveyed the area for an hour before deciding that more library time would be a better course of action... 


	19. More Revelations

Chapter 19: More Revelations  
  
Weeks passed at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Marcus seemed to be forgiven, but their actions were not forgotten. They seemed to be mostly alone when not in classes, but it didn't bother them because of their ongoing research into the disappearances. Finally they found something. Ron almost shouted when he discovered it.  
"Check this out!" he forced into a loud whisper. "It says here that the knights have managed to create an area in Scotland were no magic can be performed, it's a two mile square area surrounding this huge hill on top of which they live in a castle not dissimilar to Hogwarts. Their customs are similar to medieval England. They are skilled knights, and when they have been encountered in combat, they usually come out victorious..."  
"This is exactly what we need..." Harry decided. "We know enough about them now... We can finally go and do something."  
"Not really..." Marcus put in. "You heard what he said, there's no chance we can go and fight our way in and bring Cho out..."  
"What else can we do?" Harry asked, but the response was muted by an announcement which filled the castle. It was Dumbledore.  
"Your attention please... I will be away from school until Friday this week, and so Professor McGonnagall is in charge of the school until then. I hope that you will show her the same respect that you show me. A second announcement saddens me, however, I must report that at the end of this school year, Draco Malfoy will be leaving the school. We wish him the best fortune wherever he may go. Finally, would Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, and Mr Greenstone come to the Great Hall immediately. Thank you..."  
"Oh, man!" Harry said... "What have we done now?" They left the library accompanied by sniggers from the other students...  
  
As it turned out, Dumbledore wanted to tell them some excellent news... He greeted them standing in the middle of the hall with a dog sitting with him. Harry recognised his Godfather immediately, but waited for Dumbledore to speak.  
"Harry, I'm going to be at the ministry of magic for a few days, Padfoot's going to be cleared of his crimes. I don't want you to get too excited though. I have to tell you all that Sirius is going to move into one of the cottages in Hogsmeade, and because you have all shown impeccable behaviour over the past month, and the year, with the exception of that one unfortunate incident I will allow you to go to Hogsmeade once a month."  
"Professor, I don't know what to say..." Harry said.  
"A simple thank you will be sufficient."  
"Thank you, sir..." The three chorused.  
"You must be on your way to class now... Take this note to Professor Snape. It explains you absence for this time..."   
Harry had almost forgotten that they had potions... Thank goodness they had a note that Snape couldn't argue with... They thanked Dumbledore again, stroked Padfoot a couple of times, playfully, then left the hall, feeling much better about themselves.  
  
Snape glared at them as they entered. "Potter. What do you mean by this?" He asked in a piercing, cold tone... Harry smiled, strode towards Snape and handed him the note while Marcus and Ron sat. He stared at Snape's eyes as he read the letter.  
"Potter, sit down." Snape said with venom.  
"Yes sir." Harry replied, slightly cheekily.  
"Now, where were we before the terrible trio so rudely interrupted us?"  
As usual, Hermionie's hand shot to the air.  
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape said, obviously tired that Hermionie was always there to answer any question.  
"You were telling us how the Kentara Leaf can help to heal natural wounds."  
"Thank you Miss Granger."  
"The Kentara Leaf is usually found in high ground, among moss. Muggles cannot tell the difference, however if you rub it into a cut, then it will quicken the healing process. It will sting quite badly, but you'll be grateful for it when your blood comes pouring from your veins." He seemed to direct the last sentence specifically at Harry, who felt that Snape would never improve...  
  
After the lesson, Harry risked a conversation with Draco.  
"Draco, where are you going next year?" He asked, trying to sound as neutral as possible.  
"None of your business. My father wants me as far away from you as possible. He says you're unstable, and Voldermort would come for you above all others. He doesn't want me to be in the way when Voldermort comes for you."  
"I suppose he would know Voldermort's plans quite well, since he's still allied with him."  
"Potter, I won't have those kind of accusations in my corridors, ten points from Gryffindor." Snape always came in at the wrong time. Harry thought better than to argue, even as Malfoy smiled suspiciously.  
  
"I wonder if Draco would consider taking Snape with him?" Marcus asked later.  
"I wish" Harry and Ron replied.  
"Well, I think something is seriously suspicious with Malfoy." Marcus ended.  
"Really, you think? He always seemed so nice to me!" Harry was more sarcastic than usual today.  
"I mean it, his Dad's a death eater, Voldermort's risen, people are suspiciously disappearing and suddenly he declares he's leaving... That stinks of foul play."  
"Well there's very little we can do about it isn't there?" Ron asked.  
"I guess. But we should keep our eyes open..."  
"Isn't that our school motto? Keep your eyes open" Harry laughed. It may have been a joke, but it was truly a phrase they had to keep in mind... 


	20. Good News and Bad News

Chapter 20: Good News and Bad News  
  
Later that week, Hermionie sat in the Gryffindor common room beside Marcus, Ron and Harry as her copy of "The Daily Prophet" arrived via O-Mail. The cover contained the best news the group had received in a long time... A half page picture of Dumbledore and Sirius Black shaking hands covered the majority of page, with the rest occupied with the text accompanying the story. The headline read simply "Black Cleared!" and the four scrambled to read the article...  
"Get off, I'll read it to you!" Hermionie demanded.  
"Fine!" Harry said, as he waved back to the image of Sirius who seemed delighted next to a quietly pleased looking Dumbledore, who simply nodded to Harry as if to show some respect to him.  
"Blah, blah, blah, okay here we go." Hermionie began. "Sirius Black was cleared after new evidence was brought forward by Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School. The nature of this new evidence is not know, but it has been revealed that Peter Pettigrew was responsible for what has now been renamed as the Pettigrew Massacre..."  
"Brilliant!" Ron said. "Finally we can talk to Sirius normally!"  
"Hey Harry, you might even get to live with him!" Marcus offered.  
"You'd be much safer with a Wizard than the Dursleys." Ron added.  
"That's for sure!" Harry replied, excited by the idea of finally breaking free of the Dursleys.  
"You're mentioned in the article Harry." Hermionie said, as she continued to read the paper. "Black made a statement earlier today stating that he was delighted to have been cleared, and that he hopes that he can carry on a quiet life from now on... Black is the Godfather of Harry Potter, Dumbledore announced, and so he will be very close to events at Hogwarts. Dumbledore even hinted that there might be a position available for him there in the future."  
"I bet he said something about forgiving Hagrid, and whoever wrote the article assumed that that must mean he gets a job here..." Harry said.  
"Probably." Ron said.   
"It would be cool though, if he replaced Snape as potions master!" Marcus joked.  
"I wish!" Harry replied quickly.  
"We better get to class!" Hermionie noticed, and they left the common room.  
  
Two days later, Dumbledore and Black returned from London.  
"Harry!" Sirius shouted happily as he entered the common room.  
"Sirius!" Harry shouted back, obviously happy to see him.  
"How are you?" He asked.  
"Not too bad, I miss Cho, I'm getting a bit desperate about the whole thing."  
"I need to talk to you about that later. In private."  
"Okay. Well, come and see the guys, they've been wanting to thank you for your gifts at the dance!"  
"We need to talk about your fighting style as well Harry, thanks for reminding me..." Harry wished he hadn't said anything.  
"Great!" He said sarcastically as Ron, Marcus and Hermionie rose to greet Sirius.  
"Sirius! How are you?" Ron spoke first.  
"I'm great! How are you these days?"  
"Not too bad."  
"It's great to see you again Sirius!" Hermionie added, giving him a huge hug.  
"Thanks Hermionie!" Sirius replied before turning his attention to Marcus. "Marcus Greenstone I presume?" He said politely, shaking his hand.  
"Sirius Black! It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."  
"Likewise. I knew your father for a brief time I think... There was an exchange program with Durmstrang back when I was studying here. They cancelled it in the times of you-know-who, it was seen to be dangerous to potentially reveal the location of Durmstrang. I'll have to talk to Dumbledore about starting it up again..."  
"It's interesting you knew of my Dad, I'll have to ask him next time I send an O-Mail home."  
"Alright then!" Harry interjected. "Shall we have something to eat?"  
"That would be excellent!" Sirius smiled.  
"I'll go down and see Dobby..." Hermionie offered.  
"I'll go with you." Marcus added. "You three probably have stuff to talk about."  
"Thanks guys." Harry said as they left.  
"Harry, it's important for you to realise something about Cho and the people who disappeared." Sirius got straight to the point.  
"What? And if it's to let the teachers handle it, we know already."  
"I know you've been researching... And I just wanted to warn you that what they say in the books is true, no-one who has ever faced them has come back alive. They've been transported by cart, with a note to who-ever finds them to stay away from the hill where they live. That's how we get any information about them, by the notes they send out."  
"It's hard, Sirius. I can't just sit back and do nothing."  
"I know how you feel Harry, but don't rush into anything. I imagine you must have considered your father's old Animagnus trick? Or your cloak? There's not much good you can do."  
"I know." Harry sounded resigned.  
"Now..." Sirius continued... "If your father could see you fight like that he'd have a heart-attack... Obviously you need some training."  
"How do you know how we fight?" Ron asked.  
"I was there, though you were face down in the mud, so you couldn't see me..." Sirius replied, and Ron couldn't argue... Obviously Sirius had been going for a short walk at the time of the incident...  
"Well, I'm not worried. Whenever we look like getting into a fight in the future, we'll just work a bit of the old magic, and Bob's your father's brother." Harry seemed very dismissive.  
"Fine, you don't want my help, then just say so." Sirius tried his hardest to sound hurt, but ended with a little laugh as Hermionie and Marcus returned with glum looks on their faces.  
"What happened?" Ron asked as they put the food down on the table.  
"Three Hufflepuffs got taken from the same place as Cho and the others." Marcus announced.  
"This is ridiculous." Harry said firmly. "Why are we sitting here? We have to do something."  
"Harry we can't." Hermionie replied. "The teachers have to handle it. It's for the best."  
"I know." Harry said, calmer now. "It's just frustrating."  
"Soon enough Harry. Soon enough." Sirius paused briefly. "I'm not meant to say this, both as your Godfather, and as your elder, but we'll do something. We have to."  
"What happened to your high and mighty speech?" Ron asked.  
"Dumbledore said to tell you that. He said you'd probably ignore it anyway, but it was worth a try."  
"So you're with us?"  
"Of course. It reminds me of when I was still studying here... And besides, I can't let you go and get yourselves killed alone... We'll figure something out." He paused again as he drank. "We have to." 


	21. Unforseen Circumstances

Chapter 21: Unforeseen Circumstances  
  
Over the next week, Harry, Ron, Hermionie and Marcus continued the final stages of their library research, finding out the last essential details about the Knights of Soctaria. By the weekend they decided that they desperately needed a break from the library, so they sent an O-Mail to Fred and George, updating them on what they found, and telling them to meet them at "The Three Broomsticks" on Sunday.  
Finally, when Sunday came, Harry and Marcus had got a long way behind with their homework, so had to stay at school to finish it... (The threats from Snape were a deciding factor)... Hermionie and Ron therefore went alone...  
"Do you really think we can pull this off?" Hermionie broke the silence as they walked into the village.  
"I think we can, but it's very difficult... Risky..." Ron answered.  
"I think Harry's really cut up over it... It's affecting him a lot..." She added.  
"He's taking it pretty badly. It was hard for him when Cedric was killed, and Harry was hardly that close to him... He's mad about Cho, he's so afraid to lose her..."  
"I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid and get himself killed..."  
"He won't..."  
"Maybe... I would still feel better if I thought he was a little more objective about it all..."  
"Well, I know my brothers will help if they're asked, but they won't volunteer..."  
"We need all the help we can get..." Hermionie finished. They arrived outside the Three Broomsticks a few minutes later.  
"It gives me chills to stand here..." Hermionie said. "Knowing this is where Cho was taken... I almost went with her..."  
"Well, you didn't, so let's get inside..." Said Ron, feeling a little uncomfortable himself... They entered the Three Broomsticks and met Fred and George...  
  
The four of them talked for roughly three hours before Ron and Hermionie decided that it was time to get back. They had told Fred and George all that they had found out about the knights, as well as their plan to get the kidnapped students back... The brothers had been receptive to the idea, and had agreed to come with them when their plan was put into effect in a few weeks. The details would be O-Mailed later...  
The four walked out of the pub and said their goodbyes... Fred and George took to their broomsticks, and launched themselves to the skies... As soon as they had left the area, it happened...  
  
As if from nowhere, five knights appeared on either side of Ron and Hermionie... The two friends looked to each other, then began to fight the knights, Ron took the left hand five, and Hermionie went for the right hand five...  
Ron was much smaller than the knights, but was also quicker... He moved to the first knight, and lunged at him with all his might, throwing a right hook which sent the knight stumbling backwards... He reversed his position, and kicked at the second knight, knocking him to the floor...  
Hermionie had decided on slightly different tactics... She had grabbed a chair from one of the few tables outside the door, and used it to knock down the first knight which tried to tackle her... She had then used the chair to divert the now drawn sword of the second warrior, who she then punched square on the nose, causing it to bleed quite badly...  
As this was happening, two figures appeared in the sky... The Weasley twins had heard the cries, and turned around... They had conjured what looked to be their old Quidditch bats... They swooped to each set of knights, knocking down the ones closest to Hermionie and Ron, before jumping off their brooms and joining the fist fight...  
Fred and Ron managed to take down another of the knights, before they noticed that more were arriving... Ron spoke urgently...  
"Grab your brooms! Tell Harry what happened!"   
Hermionie obviously had the same thoughts, although she and George seemed to have their knights more or less under control...  
"GO! NOW!"  
Without answering, the twins raced to their brooms and took off... The knights didn't follow, obviously wanting just Hermionie and Ron. They surrendered. There was no point in them trying to fight off these 30 knights... Even so, without warning, the knights smacked them over their heads with the bats dropped by Fred and George, knocking them out cold...  
  
Twenty minutes later, Fred and George landed at Hagrid's hut, where they had seen Harry and Marcus through the window...  
"Harry!" Fred shouted as he knocked on the door... Hagrid opened it as Harry stood up, looking concerned...  
"Harry, they took Ron and Hermionie..." George explained... "They took them by surprise after we came out of the Three Broomsticks..."  
"We came back when we heard them shouting, but it was too late, there were already too many of the knights..."  
"They told us to get away while we could on our brooms, and to tell you what happened..."  
Harry simply sat back down, looking totally crushed... Marcus did the same...  
"Harry..." Hagrid began. Harry held up his hand to stop him... This was the worst thing that could have happened... His two best friends, his girlfriend... All gone... Finally, he spoke...  
"Fred, George... I need to ask you a favour..." 


	22. Prisoners

Chapter 22: Prisoners  
  
Ron and Hermionie were thrown silently onto the cold, harsh floor of their cell in the dungeon of the castle where they were being held. They were confined to a cage with prison bars along with Cho, who had obviously been there for some time. Her clothes were dirty from the stone of the floor, and they had blood stains, Cho's blood... The only lighting in their cell came through a small window high above them on the left hand side. On the right was another strong wooden door. There was no way to fight their way out, and they had long since given up on trying to get out through magic. They had decided that they must be in the region they had read about where magic didn't work. They hadn't been able to put up a fight on the journey because they had been out cold, and when they came around they couldn't use magic.... Ron and Hermionie were dirty, but physically fine, the knights hadn't treated them badly on the day long journey from Hogsmeade... Cho however was in bad shape. Her face was covered in bruises, and there were numerous cuts around her face. Ron noticed one especially large one running from the corner of her right eye all the way down to her check bone. It was bloody, fresh... He realised he'd been staring at it for some time, so without a sound he turned to Hermionie.  
"We've got to do something..."  
Cho spoke for the first time since they had arrived.  
"There's nothing we can do... I used to think like that... They put me in here because I talked to much to the others..."  
"Cho, don't worry... Harry knows where we are now, he'll come for us, all of us..." Hermionie tried to comfort her...  
"Excellent..." A new voice called into the cell... "He'll bring Black with him won't he?"  
"Don't tell them anything..." Cho said quietly.  
"Who are you?" Ron asked bravely. He wondered if he was being brave, or simply very, very stupid...  
"Your captor. That's all you need to know of who I am. There are some things you need to keep in mind. If you tell us lies, we'll punish you... If you "Don't remember..." we'll punish you... Understand?"  
"Yes." Hermionie and Ron said in turn.  
"Yes, SIR..." Said the new voice.  
"Yes sir." Ron and Hermionie repeated in turn.  
"You two have no respect... But you will learn..." He sounded pleased about what he was about to do, and he had a sick smile. "You..." He pointed to Ron. "Get up..." Ron did so. The first guard unlocked the cage for the new voice. Ron eyed him up. He was huge, tall, muscular and his eyes seemed to sit far in the back of his head... He reminded Ron of his image of Malfoy in a few years... Twisted and evil.  
The first guard pulled Ron from the cell violently, handed him to the second man, and closed the cage again. The second guard spoke again...   
"I'll be back for you later..." He sent an evil smile to Hermionie which chilled her to her bones. He winked. She felt scared for Ron, as well as for herself... The second guard turned and left, taking Ron with him...  
Cho slid into a corner, turning her head to the wall... She started softly weeping... Hermionie came to her and put her arms around her, understanding...  
"Cho... Cho... It's gonna be okay... I promise..."  
Cho kept crying as they began to hear Ron's screams from the next room... Before long Hermionie was crying too...  
  
Five hours later, Ron returned, carried by two different guards... They dropped him into the cell, into Hermionie's arms...  
"Ron!" She shouted as the head guard (who had taken Ron in the first place) re-entered. Ron was battered from the five hours that had been spent interrogating him.... All over his face and arms there were cuts and blood was all over his shirt... It was like he was a prisoner of war... Hermionie considered if that was what they actually were...  
"You better persuade him to speak, Granger. Otherwise you'll be next... After that we'll start hanging your friends..."  
He walked out, laughing, leaving only the one guard with the three prisoners...  
Ron spoke weakly as Cho again wept in the corner... She had seen it before, but the experience was affecting her badly...  
"I didn't... I didn't say... anything..." He spoke slowly... I was obviously painful to speak.  
"It's gonna be okay Ron..." Hermionie tried to sound convincing, but was having a tough time believing herself... She held Ron close to her... It was as if they each knew that they may never come out of this castle alive...  
They sat together for hours without a word to each other... Silently praying for Harry... 


	23. The Plot Thickens

Chapter 23: The Plot Thickens  
  
Malfoy sat, legs crossed, in the middle of the circle of candles that provided the only illumination in the cold stone room. He began to focus. This dark magic was highly unpredictable, and especially difficult to carry out here... The specific spell he was to try was extremely taxing for even the most dedicated and highly trained dark wizards, yet he had managed it on occasions in the past, and he had to try again...  
He closed his eyes, concentrating intensely on the magic... He felt it begin to run through him, powerful, but unstable... He reached out with his mind, and spoke softly, almost at a whisper, despite his low voice...  
"My Lord..."  
Voldermort replied, without emotion... "Is everything proceeding according to my plan?"  
"It is, my Lord" Malfoy replied... He would only say as much as he felt he could... He didn't want to break the connection, or risk himself...  
"Excellent... Black and Potter will soon be with us... Your father will be proud of you..." Voldermort spoke slowly... Evidently this was easy for him...  
"Thank you Lord..."  
"You will be rewarded soon Malfoy... Your time draws near... Soon you will be with me here..." Voldermort had agreed to initiate Malfoy into his inner circle if he could deliver Harry and Sirius to him...  
"Yes Lord..."  
"Go now, my servant... You have work to attend to..." Voldermort sensed Malfoy's tiredness as the conversation wore on.  
"Thank you Lord..." Malfoy said finally as the connection broke. He fell back onto the stone floor, drained...  
  
Voldermort turned to Malfoy's father... "Your son is indeed powerful my student... Everything is as I have foreseen... Soon he will take his place with us, and we will eliminate Potter once and for all..."  
"Yes, my master..." Malfoy answered.  
  
After some time, Malfoy regained enough strength to pull himself onto his bed... He took some more of his rest potion and lay down on the pillow, planing the coming days...  
"Soon Potter..." He said out loud... "Soon we shall see how strong you truly are..."  
  
Harry woke suddenly, confused... "Malfoy???" 


	24. Plans and Demands

Chapter 24: Plans and Demands  
  
Harry walked quickly with Marcus, Fred and George towards the castle, leaving Hagrid in the hut, telling him that they had to talk to Sirius. This was true to an extent, but Marcus had already guessed Harry's intentions.  
"It's not a good idea Harry..." He stated.  
"What isn't?" Replied Harry with a hint of anger in his voice.  
"Whatever you're planning to do... Dumbledore'll never let..."   
"You sound like Hermionie..." Harry interrupted. This was quickly becoming a heated argument. Marcus stopped. Fred and George followed suit.  
"Harry... Calm down..." Marcus said calming himself. "I know we have to get them back, but rushing into doing something stupid won't help them or us... We need to concentrate on our studies and let the Ministry of Magic get them back..."  
"He's right Harry" Fred added.  
"Think about what you're doing..." George urged...  
"Okay..." Harry tried to calm himself. "I've got an idea..." Fred rolled his eyes as his brother forced a very fake smile... "Don't look like that..." Harry continued... "I need you two to do me a huge favour, or rather to do us a huge favour."  
"Us?" Marcus asked.  
"Yes, us. I need you two, " He motioned to Fred and George, "To be us... For a while at least... Just until we bring Ron, Cho and Herm back..."  
"Harry, we have lives, we can't just become you for a couple of weeks, people would miss us!" George started to protest...  
"When was the last time you each went on a date?" Marcus asked, knowing the answers already.  
"Good point..." Fred conceded.  
"So it's the polyjuice potions then?" George asked...  
"That's the one... Now only we, Sirius, and your parents will know about it, so make sure you are convincing, and try not to lose too many points for us, and don't get us expelled..." Marcus continued to explain the plan as they walked towards the front door of the castle once more...  
  
They walked into the Gryffindor common room, and were immediately whisked away by Sirius...  
"We need to talk..." He said, holding a piece of parchment in his hand...  
"What's that?" Harry asked.  
"Read it..." Sirius commanded.  
"This is Ron's writing!" Marcus exclaimed.  
"Yes... But they aren't his words. He was forced to write this." Sirius explained. "You can see a blood stains on it from each of them, Ron, Cho, and Hermionie... It's not them they, want, it's us..." Harry felt hatred and fear rise inside him, but Marcus's words calmed him.  
"We have a plan. It's not easy, but Fred and George agreed to help us." Marcus went on and explained the plan again.  
"We'll take the places of Harry and Marcus until you get back..." George stated. Sirius was less optimistic.  
"This could easily get us all killed." He said. "But we have to try it at least."  
"So you're in?" Harry asked.  
"Merlin help us! I'm in Harry..." Sirius finished.  
"We'll leave as soon as possible..." Marcus stated to the others. "Sirius, you'll need to tell Dumbledore you're going away for a while. Visiting some of your old haunts..."  
"Fine. I'll do it now." He said leaving them to brew the potions...  
  
The next morning they woke early, making the excuse of taking a walk, and meeting themselves beside the lake. After exchanging jokes about meeting themselves, as well as supplies, they departed from Hogwarts, three crusaders fighting for their friends... 


	25. Negotiations

Chapter 25: Negotiations  
  
Harry, Marcus and Sirius made their way out over the moor, not knowing what to expect. After receiving the note demanding that they meet here, and over the slow three day journey, they had entertained almost all of the possibilities of who they might meet. Giants, demons, dragons?  
They walked for hours, and finally arrived. No-one was there to meet them.  
  
"This can't be a wild goose chase..." Harry questioned.  
"No." Sirius declared, scanning the surroundings as a lone knight appeared on the horizon. "That must be the person who sent the letter."  
The knight spoke as he came closer.  
"Send someone to negotiate." He shouted the order towards them without emotion. Harry, Marcus and Sirius looked to each other.  
"I'll go." Harry stated.  
"You will not!" Sirius replied, shocked that Harry would even suggest it.  
"I suppose you want to then!"  
"No. But I am the oldest of us, so I have to." Sirius seemed resigned, so Marcus decided that he would have to take a stand.  
"You stay with Harry, Sirius, I'll go and talk..." He stated, armed himself with a sword, and began to walk. He looked back after a few steps... "Be ready with those bows"  
"What are you going to do?" Asked Sirius.  
"What it takes." Marcus replied firmly, before continuing his walk. Almost simultaneously, a legion of knights appeared beside the first, and he alone walked forward to meet Marcus. They met about 100 meters away from the knights, and the same away from a very nervous Harry and Sirius.  
  
"Speak." The knight demanded.  
"My name is Marcus Greenstone of Hogwarts School" Marcus stated, hoping to discover the identity of his adversary.  
"Edward Thomas Malfoy, leader of the Knights of Soctaria, loyal servant of Lord Voldermort." Marcus's head rushed... **Malfoy? Voldermort's servant?** He decided to take the initiative.  
"State your demands."  
"Give us Potter and Black, and we will return all of your friends."  
"Unacceptable. We can offer food and other supplies, but no people will be exchanged."  
"We have everything we need, other than Potter and Black. Give them to us." **This guy won't budge** thought Marcus, quickly calculating the odds in a fight. 15 to 1. Outnumbered, badly.  
"I cannot give them to you."  
"Then it seems the girl's faith in you was misplaced."  
"What?" Marcus was now agitated, obviously he meant Hermionie.  
"When we captured her, she assured us that you would give anything for her release."  
"You're lying." Marcus called his bluff.  
"If you don't believe me, ask Weasley."  
"What do you mean, ask Weasley?"  
"He and Granger have become, well, very close over the past weeks." Marcus was enraged... Hermionie would never...  
"You're bluffing. There's nothing more to discuss." He turned to go, but in the same movement grasped his sword and slashed Malfoy's head clean off his body. He felt the blood against his face, stared at the headless corpse, then ran back to Harry and Sirius, who were shocked, but had drawn their bows... 


	26. The Battle Of Soctaria

Chapter 26: The Battle of Soctaria  
  
Harry shot first as the legion of knights charged, slightly slower than Marcus was running. When he made it back to Sirius and Harry, he picked up his own bow and began to fire. So far Harry and Sirius had taken out ten of the knights between the two of them, leaving 34 left. There was only time for another three shots each. Sirius yelled to Marcus.  
"You shouldn't have done that..."  
"I found out what we needed... He wasn't useful any more" He replied, taking out another knight at the same time. Harry had killed another two, and Sirius three by the time they had to draw their swords. Harry yelled out at the last moment, somewhat illogically and emotionally...  
"For Cho!"  
"For Herm!" Marcus echoed with the same enraged passion in his voice.  
"Aaarrrhhh!" Sirius exclaimed as his blade met that of the first knight, parrying it to the side, then slicing through the side of the knight, who fell to the ground, arm severed from body.  
Thankfully for the three, the knights came at varying speeds, and so they were usually only fighting six at a time between them. Harry had only once used a sword before, the sword of Gryffindor, and then it was simple, he knew what he had to do, just drive it into the snake. But now was hard. He parried another attack and stepped back, falling over a dead body behind him. The attacker pointed his sword down, ready to drive it through Harry, who screamed loudly. Just as he was thinking how sorry he was to Cho, he saw the point of Marcus's sword appear in the chest of the attacker. The knight dropped his sword, but Harry saw what was going to happen and rolled away just in time. He was about to yell thanks to Marcus, when he saw another knight advancing.  
  
"Look out!" Harry cried out moments too late. Marcus lightly parried the blade, but it still cut into Marcus's left arm. By this time, Harry was up, and drove his sword into the knight's stomach. Marcus carried on bravely, killing another three before noticing that the odds were starting to improve...   
Sirius was a great swordsman, but one of the larger knights had him in some trouble. They fought ferociously together, obviously both were on the edge of their ability, and it was apparent that soon one of them would be killed. Sirius parried left, then right, before making an axe-like attack towards the knight's head. This was blocked with a crossed sword from the knight, who immediately flicked Sirius's blade to the side, and thrust forward again. This was soon proven to be a mistake as Sirius, being smaller, quickly moved away and brought his blade down through the back of his attacker.  
After more of the same, finally the odds were one to one. Marcus had partially recovered from his wound, but was still having trouble as Harry dispatched of his own opponent. Sirius seemed exhausted by the whole event as he finally took down his attacker.  
Marcus was in big trouble. He parried to the right, exhausted, but his opponent was quick, and he thrust towards Marcus again, with lightning pace. Marcus saw it, but too late. He felt the steel of the blade sink into him, the initial pain of his skin being punctured, then the blurring of everything around him... The last thing he saw was Harry slicing the man's arm off and Sirius driving his sword through the man's heart... 


End file.
